Adewole Ololade G, Omotoso Kehinde O
National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
DST/NRF SARChI Chair in Social Policy, College of Graduate Studies, University of South Africa, Pretoria.
Afr J Reprod Health. 2024 Nov 30;28(11):115-134. doi: 10.29063/ajrh2024/v28i11.12.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigeria, like many other countries, implemented a lockdown policy that restricted all movement except for essential services. Access to medical services is a critical component of an effective healthcare system, and without equitable access across genders, improving the overall health outcomes of the population is unlikely to be achieved. This study analyses gender differential in access to medical services and sexual reproductive health services namely, family planning, child health, adult health, pharmacy, emergency care, vaccination, and other medical services during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria, using both descriptive and inferential analytical techniques. Results indicate that adult health services were the most needed medical services, with females requiring them slightly more than males. However, access to these services was greater for males than females. While some respondents believed that there was a gender differential in access to SRH such as family planning, maternal and new born care, male infertility treatment, abortion prevention and management, healthy sexuality, violence surveillance and prevention among women, others opined that there was none. The study provided evidence-based recommendations for quality policy decisions on appropriate measures to promote gender-equitable and sustainable recovery during a crisis.
在新冠疫情期间，尼日利亚和许多其他国家一样，实施了封锁政策，限制了除基本服务外的所有人员流动。获得医疗服务是有效医疗体系的关键组成部分，若无法实现不同性别的公平可及，就不太可能改善全体民众的整体健康状况。本研究运用描述性和推断性分析技术，分析了尼日利亚在新冠疫情封锁期间，在获得医疗服务和性与生殖健康服务（即计划生育、儿童健康、成人健康、药房服务、急诊护理、疫苗接种及其他医疗服务）方面的性别差异。结果表明，成人健康服务是最急需的医疗服务，女性的需求略高于男性。然而，男性获得这些服务的机会多于女性。虽然一些受访者认为在获得诸如计划生育、孕产妇和新生儿护理、男性不育治疗、堕胎预防与管理、健康性行为、针对女性的暴力监测与预防等性与生殖健康服务方面存在性别差异，但另一些人则认为不存在。该研究为制定高质量政策决策提供了循证建议，以采取适当措施，在危机期间促进性别平等和可持续复苏。
