"Resilience amidst challenges": Healthcare users' experiences of access and utilisation of primary healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic in southwestern Uganda.

ABSTRACT: Primary healthcare (PHC) systems are the first point of contact for healthcare users and are critical for disease prevention and early treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed PHC systems globally, including in sub-Saharan Africa, significantly impacting access to essential services. We describe the experiences of community PHC users' accessing and utilizing health services at 15 purposively selected health centers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Masaka district, southwestern Uganda. A qualitative study (13th-August-2021-4th-November-2021) was embedded with in a large investigation evaluating the impact of COVID-19 on PHC services across three African regions. We conducted 28 in-depth interviews (IDIs) and 2 focus group discussions (FGDs) among adult (females and males) healthcare user

SUBMITTER: Kawuma R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12360571 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature