Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Access to Maternal Healthcare I Dr. Aparna Hegde

As the public health landscape of India finds itself in jeopardy due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the prevalent socio-economic inequalities exacerbate the crisis for low-immunity citizens such as pregnant women and children. Has the lockdown affected access to healthcare for pregnant women or women living in COVID-19 hotspots? How has the shutting down or conversion of hospitals into containment zones affected the delivery of healthcare to the underprivileged? Do non-COVID hospitals have a procedure of separating regular patients like pregnant women from COVID-19 patients? Given the lack of sufficient research-based evidence, how can maternal health issues be navigated, and solutions found? Does the crisis affect women more negatively, considering their significant contribution to the healthcare workforce as doctors, nurses, and midwives? How is access to healthcare being increased using Artificial Intelligence and other technological innovations?

Aditi Ratho, Junior Fellow at ORF, in conversation with Dr. Aparna Hegde, Urogynecologist and Founder & Managing Trustee of ARMMAN, discusses how the emergency focus of India's healthcare services on the pandemic has negatively impacted maternal health of women, especially in remote areas, and what measures have to be taken for its resolution.

#MaternalMortalityRate #MaternalHealth #COVID19 #VirtualOPD #CoronaCrisis #COVID19India