This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy.Millions of women and children in poor countries are at risk because the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting health services they rely on, from neonatal and maternity care to immunizations and contraception, a World Bank global health expert has warned.
“We’re very concerned about what’s happening – particularly in sub-Saharan Africa,” Vledder said as she unveiled the results of a GFF survey, one of the first seeking to assess the impact of COVID-19 on women’s and children’s health.“Many of the countries we work in are fragile and so, by definition, already have very challenging situations when it comes to health service delivery. This is making things worse.
Sharing the survey findings with Reuters, GFF said that of countries reporting, 87 per cent said the pandemic, fears about infection or lockdown measures designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, had led to disruptions to health workforces. The number of GFF countries reporting service disruptions nearly doubled from 10 in April to 19 in June, and the number reporting fewer people seeking essential health services jumped to 22 in June from five in April.