Citizens lack access to healthcare facilities: How COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing policies boost roadside chemist businesses in South-Eastern Nigeria.

This study examines how COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing policies impacted on citizens' access to healthcare facilities and the level of patronage of chemist/pharmacies for self-treatment. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey method was used to collect data by asking individuals quantitative and qualitative questions in person which included 6 structured open-ended questions. Participants include operators of purposively selected three classes of small businesses/self-employed services in South-Eastern Nigeria. This involves 120 fashion/event related businesses, 80 food related businesses and 100 general merchandise-a total of 300 small businesses. Quantitative data were analysed by frequencies and descriptive statistics while qualitative data were analysed using thematic/content analysis. It concludes that although COVID-19 lockdown policies are generally perceived to have negative effects on small businesses, these policies have particularly had positive effects on the chemist/pharmacies businesses compared with other small businesses. About 85% increase in patronage of chemist businesses compared with 63.7% decline in patronage of other small businesses is essentially linked to increasing rate of self-medication as a result of government's poor implementation of COVID-19 public health policies amidst lockdown measures-which limited people's access to hospitals and healthcare centres. The study proposes reformed pandemic-lockdown policies to increase people's access to healthcare services and reduce overreliance on self-medication and excessive patronage of roadside chemist/pharmacies.