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. 2025 Apr 11;25(1):430.
doi: 10.1186/s12884-025-07500-8.

Health providers' perspectives on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-epidemic measures on maternal health services in Nairobi, Kenya: a qualitative study

Cynthia Khamala Wangamati  1 , Paul Wenzel Geissler  2 , Erick Otieno Nyambedha  3 , Ruth Jane Prince  4
Affiliations

Health providers' perspectives on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-epidemic measures on maternal health services in Nairobi, Kenya: a qualitative study

Cynthia Khamala Wangamati et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. .

Abstract

Background: The first case of COVID-19 in Kenya was confirmed in March 2020; the Kenyan government swiftly introduced measures to curb transmission, some of which negatively impacted maternal health services. Most research on the effects of COVID-19 on maternal health is from the perspectives of pregnant women and mothers. Our study explores health providers' perspectives on the effect of COVID-19 on maternal health services in Nairobi, Kenya.

Methods: From February to May 2023, we conducted key informant interviews with 39 health providers in Nairobi County, Kenya. Study participants included medical doctors/officers, clinical officers, nurses, and community health assistants. Thematic inductive and deductive analysis were used to analyze the data; coding was done using NVIVO.

Results: The interviewed health providers confirmed that COVID-19 prevention and infection control measures had negatively affected maternal health services. The measures led to the temporary closure of health facilities because there was a shortage of health providers due to their deployment in isolation centers and quarantine, and some contracted COVID-19, restricted access to maternal health services, and delayed service delivery due to social distancing. Health providers stated that they faced numerous challenges, including fear of and contracting COVID-19, being overworked as they were short-staffed, limited resources, stigma from the community as they were considered infectious, and psychological distress. In addition, health providers said that the Kenyan government addressed some challenges by providing personal protective equipment, prioritizing health providers for vaccination, facilitating their movement, and providing temporary tax relief.

Conclusion: Our findings highlight the negative effect of COVID-19 on maternal health services in Kenya. Future pandemic preparedness should entail proper planning, staffing, training, psychosocial support, and staff motivation through the provision of risk allowance and health insurance. In addition, funds should be set aside for purchasing medical supplies, equipment, and vaccines, building isolation centres, and other contingencies.

Keywords: COVID-19; Health providers; Kenya; Maternal health; Pregnant women and mothers.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration. Human Ethics and consent to participate declaration: Ethics approval to conduct the study was sought the Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research, and Maseno University Ethics Review Committee (MUERC/01063/22). In addition, we secured a research permit from the National Commission for Science, Technology & Innovation (NACOSTI/P/23/31485). The ethical considerations were in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

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