Voices From the Community: Maternal Healthcare Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant impact on health services around the world. Many hospitals and clinics were overwhelmed by the influx of patients, leading to delays and disruptions in care. The fear of contracting the virus also led to a decrease in the number of people seeking medical care, even for urgent or life-threatening conditions. Various studies have reported a decrease in overall utilization of maternal health services. However, it remains vital to find the reasons for reduced utilization along with the experiences of the women as well as healthcare workers during the pandemic. Objective The objective of this study was to identify the facilitators and barriers to maternal healthcare services utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods It was a qualitative study conducted in a rural area of Haryana, India. Twelve in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with health workers and four focused group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with pregnant women. Textual analysis was done for both IDIs as well as FGDs. Qualitative analysis was done manually. Results The identified themes were complete cessation of services, no outpatient department (OPD) services for many months, no antenatal care (ANC) services for two months, disruption of supply of medicines, unavailability of drugs, fear of getting COVID-19 infection, mandatory COVID-19 negative report for admission in hospital, and increased referral from government health facilities during the pandemic and lockdown. Conclusion Maternal healthcare services suffered during COVID-19 for various reasons including the closure of health facilities, limited supply of stocks, or fear of the disease among pregnant women. This evidence can be used to prepare as well as manage healthcare services in future.