Perspectives of healthcare stakeholders in Nigeria on the impact of COVID-19 on health services.

Background: COVID-19 disrupted critical public health services globally. It is important to understand how the pandemic affected healthcare service delivery and utilisation in Nigeria to guide planning for future public health crises in the country.

Aim: This study aimed to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic affected health service delivery and utilisation in Nigeria.

Setting: The study was conducted in Abuja, and Oyo State, Nigeria, in 2023.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional qualitative study that adopted an exploratory study design. Key Informant Interviews were used to elicit information from twenty-eight healthcare stakeholders in relevant government health Ministries and Agencies as well as partners of the government on health. The selection of the stakeholders was done through purposive sampling. Recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim, and analysed using an inductive qualitative data analysis method to generate themes. The data were further organized and analysed using NVivo software version 14.

Results: The findings revealed that COVID-19 negatively affected healthcare service delivery and utilisation in Nigeria. This was due to various factors such as healthcare workers' unwillingness to provide services, exposed healthcare system gaps that affected service delivery, and the shift of attention and resources to COVID-19. However, the pandemic also presented an opportunity to improve public health infrastructure and health service delivery.

Conclusion: Government needs to maximise the gains from the pandemic to build a resilient health system.

Contribution: This article provides insights for public health policy and planning aimed at enhancing resilience and optimising service delivery during future health crises.