SHORT COMMUNICATION Year : 2023  |  Volume : 50  |  Issue : 1  |  Page : 129-130

Restoring services targeting sexual and reproductive health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Saurabh RamBihariLal Shrivastava1, Prateek Saurabh Shrivastava2
1 Deputy Director – Academics, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth – Deemed to be University, Medical Education Unit Coordinator and Member of the Institute Research Council, Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Ammapettai, Nellikuppam, Chengalpet District, Tamil Nadu, India
2 Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth – Deemed to be University, Ammapettai, Nellikuppam, Chengalpet District, Tamil Nadu, India

Date of Submission27-Jul-2022Date of Decision14-Aug-2022Date of Acceptance27-Aug-2022Date of Web Publication24-Mar-2023

Correspondence Address:
Saurabh RamBihariLal Shrivastava
MD, FAIMER, PGDHHM, DHRM, FCS, ACME, M.Phil. (HPE), Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (SBV) – Deemed to be University, Thiruporur - Guduvancherry Main Road, Ammapettai, Nellikuppam, Chengalpet District - 603 108, Tamil Nadu
India

Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None

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DOI: 10.4103/jss.jss_162_22

The ongoing coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to be a public health emergency of global concern. The findings of the studies have reported that owing to the pandemic, the delivery of essential and emergency sexual and reproductive health-care services has been significantly jeopardized. This has resulted in a considerable rise in the number of episodes of gender-based violence, with the situation being grimmer in settings with poor health systems or among people who are being exposed to some form of humanitarian emergencies. This calls for an indispensable need to improve the delivery of sexual and reproductive health-related services to all women, especially those living in low-resource settings. To conclude, the COVID-19 pandemic has accounted for the disruption of almost all types of health-care services and the same thing has been observed with regard to the delivery of sexual and reproductive health-care needs of women. It is the need of the hour to bridge the existing gap and give adequate priority to the special needs of women, which very much determine their quality of life.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic, sexual and reproductive health, World Health Organization

How to cite this article:
Shrivastava SR, Shrivastava PS. Restoring services targeting sexual and reproductive health during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Sci Soc 2023;50:129-30
  Introduction 

The ongoing coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to be a public health emergency of global concern.[1] As of July 17, 2022, more than 559 million confirmed cases and 6.3 million deaths have been reported worldwide.[1] An infectious disease that has existed for so long across different parts of the world clearly reflects that a lot needs to be done for returning to normal life and improving the delivery of health-care services. To contain the infection in different nations, a wide number of measures targeting the detection of cases, infrastructure support, capacity building, risk communication, contact tracing, travel restrictions, etc., have been implemented.[2]

  Interruption in Delivery of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services 

In many parts of the world, especially in developed nations, the lives of people are gradually coming back to normal, but the same cannot be said in the case of low- and middle-income nations, which are still fighting against the disease. The findings of the studies have reported that owing to the pandemic, the delivery of essential and emergency sexual and reproductive health-care services has been significantly jeopardized.[3],[4] This has resulted in a considerable rise in the number of episodes of gender-based violence, with the situation being grimmer in settings with a poor health system or among people who are being exposed to some form of humanitarian emergency.[4]

  Required Interventions 

The simple fact is that irrespective of the presence or absence of COVID-19, women will be in need of standard sexual and reproductive health care to optimally maintain menstrual hygiene and deal appropriately with sexually transmitted infections. In addition, the role of these services in family planning and safe delivery services can also be not ruled out.[4],[5] In the formulated Sustainable Development Goals, the number of targets pertaining to sexual and reproductive health have been specified, which need to be accomplished by 2030. It is quite obvious that we will not be able to attain them if we do not sustain our efforts.[4],[5]

This calls for an indispensable need to improve the delivery of sexual and reproductive health-related services to all women, especially those living in low-resource settings. This will essentially require the support of the outreach workers, who need to go into the community to identify the precise needs of the women and take necessary actions.[4],[6] It will be challenging considering the safety of the health workers, nevertheless strict adherence to infection prevention and control measures can significantly aid them to discharge their roles to the optimal level.[4],[5],[6]

The need of the hour is aiming for the integration of services targeting COVID-19 and the services which are meant to improve the sexual and reproductive health of the women.[3],[4] This indirectly will require strengthening both the logistics for meeting the reproductive health needs as well as for the simultaneous containment of the infection.[2],[3],[4],[5],[6] We have to accept that no sustainable gains can be accomplished unless members of the community join their hands in government efforts. This calls for the need to strengthen risk communication and community engagement mechanism, which not only targets awareness about COVID-19 but also the need that women to give priority to their sexual and reproductive health needs and the services which are available in the health-care establishments.[2],[3],[4],[5],[6]

  Conclusion 

The COVID-19 pandemic has accounted for the disruption of almost all types of health-care services and the same thing has been observed with regard to the delivery of sexual and reproductive health-care needs of women. It is the need of the hour to bridge the existing gap and give adequate priority to the special needs of women, which very much determine their quality of life.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

 

  References 
1.World Health Organization. Weekly Epidemiological Update on COVID-19 – 20 July 2022; 2022. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update-on-covid-19---20-july-2022. [Last accessed on 2022 Jul 27].  
    2.World Health Organization. 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV): Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan. Geneva: World Health Organization press; 2020. p. 1-20.  
    3.Raj A, Johns NE, Barker KM, Silverman JG. Time from COVID-19 shutdown, gender-based violence exposure, and mental health outcomes among a state representative sample of California residents. EClinicalMedicine 2020;26:100520.  
    4.United Nations Population Fund. Safe Delivery – Even Now UNFPA Coronavirus Disease (COVID- 19) Global Response Appeal; 2020. Available from: https://www.unfpa.org/news/pandemic-rages-women-and-girls-face-intensified-risks. [Last accessed on 2022 Jul 27].  
    5.World Health Organization. COVID-19: Operational Guidance for Maintaining Essential Health Services During an Outbreak – Interim Guidance. Geneva: World Health Organization press; 2020. p. 1-10.  
    6.Hussein J. COVID-19: What implications for sexual and reproductive health and rights globally? Sex Reprod Health Matters 2020;28:1746065.