WikiJournal Preprints/What is the impact of Covid-19 on the Antenatal Care Services Utilization in Public-Private-Rural-Urban Hospitals of India during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period of 2020-2021 compared to pre-pandemic era 2018-2019?

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Article information

Author: Dr Piyush Kumar[a][i] 

See author information ▼
  1. Health Department, Government of Bihar, India
  1. Health Department, Government of Bihar, India

Abstract

Background

The ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is well documented to have a disastrous effect on the health-care services, particularly pregnancy-related health services. In order to provide the information to the scientific community and policy makers with accredited evidence and data in the country, this retrospective cross sectional mixed research study aims to find out the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antenatal services utilization among pregnant women of India attending public / private / rural / urban health facilities in 36 states and union territories. Hence, the researcher hopes that result and analysis will be beneficial to important stakeholders as well as policy makers in designing strategies for prioritizing pregnancy healthcare even within the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic period. Methods A facility-based retrospective mixed cross-sectional study was conducted from 1st January 2018 to 31st May 2021 for pregnant women attending public / private / rural / urban ANC services in 36 states and union territories of India. A total of 96990524 women registered for ANC during this period across all health facilities were included in the study with a purposive sampling technique. The data required for this study is collected from HMIS of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) which is the most accredited data source in India. The total number of indicators included for the study was 20.The data collected is analysed with the help of Microsoft office. Results Overall, 96990524 women registered for ANC during the study period. The analysis shows that the covid-19 pandemic era has a negative impact on several indicators. The study revealed that there is significant increase in ANC service utilization at urban health facility of all the services as compared to pre-pandemic era on cumulative all India basis. Conclusion Enhancing women knowledge of protective health services, prioritizing maternal care related health services during ongoing COVID-19, and improving the accessibility of ANC service should be emphasized for getting maximum benefit to the neediest.

Keywords: antenatal care, health facility, utilization, coronavirus disease, pregnant women, India


Introduction([1][2][3][4][edit | edit source]

Image caption text goes here (attribution: name of image creator, CC-BY 3.0)

Antenatal care services are well documented by several researchers to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic despite the truth that pregnant women are considered vulnerable group [[5]]. However, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to maternity services disruptions in providing antenatal care due to the government enforced covid-19 restrictions regarding social distancing etc., which has negatively impacted on access to routine antenatal care.

The SARS-CoV-2, which causes disease (COVID-19), has spread globally since emerging in December 2019, and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared this a global pandemic on March 11, 2020[[6]]. Total number of 343,516,850 confirmed cases and 5,594,994 deaths 275,116,452 recovered were reported globally as of January 21, 2022, 10:43 GMT [[7]].

The WHO defines Antenatal care as the care given to a pregnant mother before birth, and it involves education, screening, counselling added with treatment of problems, and immunization [[8]].Antenatal care is the first contact opportunity for a pregnant woman to get connected with available-accessible-affordable health services and linking herself with pregnancy related complications to an established health-referral system.

Maternal mortality is significantly high. Almost 295 000 women died during and following due to pregnancy and childbirth related causes in 2017. The great majority of these deaths (94%) reported in low-resource settings, and majority could have been prevented [[9]]. Antenatal healthcare is targeted to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality by providing and educating about health promotion, danger signs, birth preparedness, and proper timely care for pregnancy complications. The WHO recommends a minimum of 04 ANC visit per pregnancy for pregnant women. NFHS Studies conducted in different states of India reported that educational status, maternal age, number of living children, occupation, place of residence, religion, socio-economic status, and previous obstetric history were significant factors associated with the use of antenatal care service [[10]].

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged not only India but global countries to provide good quality, essential maternal and new-born health services [[11]]. Pregnant women and new-borns have experienced difficulties accessing health services due to lockdown measures or found to be reluctant to visit health facilities due to fear of possible infection[[12]].  The disruption of maternity services and moving resources away from most essential pregnancy care, due to COVID-19 response, increased risks of maternal morbidity and mortality [[13]]. Anxiety, domestic violence and mental health problems in pregnant women were reported to be increased during the ongoing covid-19 pandemic [[14],[15]].The indirect effects of COVID-19 on various other diseases at the population level, as a result of lockdown, social restrictions, and reorganization of health systems, is evident in several research studies[[16]]

The negative impact of containment and covid-19 policies on mortality at emergency department is also evident from several research studies [[17]]. To the best of the researcher/author knowledge, there is no published research till today 22-01-2022 exploring the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on antenatal care services utilization by analysing 20 accredited times bound indicators for pregnant women in the country. This kind of research study is not done only in India, but also on global basis the author has not found such study which can clearly mark the impact of covid-19 on ANC through several process or output indicators.

In order to provide the information to the scientific community and policy makers with accredited evidence and data in the country, this retrospective cross sectional mixed research study aims to find out the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antenatal services utilization among pregnant women of India attending public / private / rural / urban health facilities in 36 states and union territories. Hence, the researcher hopes that result and analysis will be beneficial to important stakeholders as well as policy makers in designing strategies for prioritizing pregnancy healthcare even within the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic period.

Materials and Methods[edit | edit source]

Study Setting[edit | edit source]

The study was conducted by continuous observation of health facilities data found in HMIS of MoHFW, which is also available online. The population covered is 36 states and union territories of India. According to the data obtained from HMIS, the total ANC registered during this period is 96990524 numbers of females. In the country there are private, public, rural and urban hospitals, delivering ANC services. The financial burden of ANC services in public hospital of India is cost free, covered by state and central governments. For getting treatment at private health facilities the pregnant women or family have to pay as OOPE (out of pocket expense) until unless covered by some government sponsored scheme.

Study Design and Period[edit | edit source]

A health facility-based retrospective mixed cross-sectional study was conducted for pregnant women who attended ANC and takes the available services in the selected health facilities from 1st January 2018 to 31st May 2021. The first documented covid-19 case in India was found in January 2020[[18]]. Hence the year before 2020 i.e. 2018 and 2019 is pre-pandemic period utilized for comparison with the ongoing covid-19 pandemic period i.e.2020 and 2021 (up to May as data from accredited source is available till this month). The average per month is calculated and pandemic era is compared with pre-pandemic era to find out the impact of covid-19 on ANC services utilization.

Population

The actual population was all the pregnant women who attended ANC or utilized ANC related health services in the selected health facilities of choice, during the data collection period of this research study was considered as study population. Accordingly, a total of 96990524 numbers of female’s pregnant women who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included in the study.

Sample Size and Sampling Technique[edit | edit source]

A total of 96990524 women registered for ANC were included in the study with a purposive sampling technique. The data required for this study is collected from HMIS of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) which is the most accredited data source in India. The total number of indicators included for the study was 25.The data collected is analysed with the help of Microsoft office.

Study Variables and Operational Definition[edit | edit source]

The outcome variable of this research study was antenatal care utilization. Antenatal care utilization for this study was defined as

1.     Total number of pregnant women registered for ANC

2.     Out of the total ANC registered, number registered within 1st trimester (within 12 weeks)

3.     Number of PW given TT1/ Td1

4.     Number of PW given TT2 / Td2

5.     Number of PW given TT Booster/ Td Booster

6.     Number of PW provided full Course 180 Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets

7.     Number of PW provided full Course 360 Calcium tablets

8.     Number of PW given one Albendazole tablet after 1st trimester

9.     Number of PW received 4 or more ANC check ups

10. Number of PW given ANC Corticosteroids in Pre Term Labour

11. Out of the new cases of PW with hypertension detected, cases managed at institution

12. Number of Eclampsia cases managed during delivery

13. Number of PW tested for Haemoglobin (Hb ) 4 or more than 4 times for respective ANCs

14. Number of PW having severe anaemia (Hb < 7) treated

15. Number of PW tested for Blood Sugar using OGTT(Oral Glucose Tolerance Test)

16. Number of PW tested positive for GDM

17. Number of PW given insulin out of total tested positive for GDM

18. Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis

19. Number of pregnant women tested for Syphilis

20. Number of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis,

Data Collection and Quality Assurance[edit | edit source]

Data were continuously collected, observed analysed using Microsoft office software from electronic records of HMIS from MoHFW. The whole data collection and analysis is solely done by the author. To assure data quality the researcher has taken help of his wife to do cross check as well. Furthermore, there was daily supervision of data collected in the data collection process. Finally, it was checked for accuracy, reliability, completeness and consistency.

Data Management and Analysis

All data was checked for inconsistencies, any missing values, and for incompleteness, then entered into Microsoft office software and also exported to STATA for further analysis.

Data Availability[edit | edit source]

The data for study is available on HMIS of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. The link to the source is given below:-

https://hmis.nhp.gov.in/#!/standardReports

Ethical Consideration[edit | edit source]

Ethical clearance was not applicable as this research study have not utilized any human or animal for trials etc. or involved them in any way which requires ethical considerations. Furthermore the data used is available for public and the researcher have not disclosed any hidden or secret data. The purpose of this study is well explained above, and consent or approval is not required for such studies based on secondary data available in public domain. The researcher is a medical doctor and this research study is a part of author usual routine.

Results[edit | edit source]

Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Respondents[edit | edit source]

A facility-based retrospective mixed cross-sectional study was conducted from 1st January 2018 to 31st May 2021 for pregnant women attending all / public / private / rural / urban ANC services in 36 states and union territories of India. Thus, a total of 96990524 women registered for ANC were included in the study with a purposive sampling technique. See Table 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, (some extra data table 6,7,8,9,10, is also attached at end for researcher’s interest)

This research study is ongoing and more analysis and interpretation will be available in next version of this research study with more data.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on ANC Service Utilization[edit | edit source]

Table – 1- Comparison of ANC service utilization across India (all health facilities) before and after covid-19 pandemic

Indicator/ Variable Average per month-Pandemic Era    (2020-21) Average per month-Pre-Pandemic Era

(2018-2019)

Total number of pregnant women registered for ANC 2309294.7 2414769
Out of the total ANC registered, number registered within 1st trimester (within 12 weeks) 1725702.3 1662208
Number of PW given TT1/ Td1 1650691.2 1734836
Number of PW given TT2 / Td2 1459628.4 1555820.5
Number of PW given TT Booster/ Td Booster 514934.24 497145.75
Number of PW provided full Course 180 Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets 2080879.9 2072583.5
Number of PW provided full Course 360 Calcium tablets 1853213.6 1474173.5
Number of PW given one Albendazole tablet after 1st trimester 1143783 945783.85
Number of PW received 4 or more ANC check ups 1801079 1802186.5
Number of PW given ANC Corticosteroids in Pre Term Labour 38021.317 35867.25
New cases of PW with hypertension detected 46943.875 48617.71
Out of the new cases of PW with hypertension detected, cases managed at institution 33567.525 32482.96
Number of Eclampsia cases managed during delivery 5051.6167 5005.875
Number of PW tested for Haemoglobin (Hb ) 4 or more than 4 times for respective ANCs 1803885.8 1927255.5
Number of PW having Hb level<11 (out of total tested cases)(7.1 to 10.9) 1508156 1706392.5
Number of PW having Hb level<7 (out of total tested cases) 72676.35 88738.625
Number of PW having severe anaemia (Hb < 7) treated 44108.592 49309.625
Number of PW tested for Blood Sugar using OGTT(Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) 368095.89 343927.75
Number of PW tested positive for GDM 10798.183 11486
Number of PW given insulin out of total tested positive for GDM 2990.3917 2328.4165
Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis 215142.48 32339.21
Out of above, number of PW found sero-positive for Syphilis 1499.9917 379.2083
Number of pregnant women tested for Syphilis 694791.53 732651.45
Number of pregnant women tested found sero positive for Syphilis 3670.8917 3673.542
Number of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis 1573.55 1261.375

The study revealed that there is decrease in ANC service utilization of following services as compared to pre-pandemic era on cumulative all India basis:-

    Total number of pregnant women registered for ANC-Number of PW given TT1/ Td1

    Number of PW given TT2 / Td2

    Number of PW received 4 or more ANC check ups

    Number of PW tested for Haemoglobin (Hb) 4 or more than 4 times for respective ANCs

    Number of pregnant women tested for Syphilis

An important finding is increase in following ANC service utilization during covid-19 pandemic Era:-

    Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis

    Out of above, number of PW found sero-positive for Syphilis

    Number of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis

Table – 2- Comparison of ANC service utilization at public health facilities across India before and after covid-19 pandemic

Indicator / Public Average per month-Pandemic Era Public Average per month-Pre-Pandemic Era
Total number of pregnant women registered for ANC 2208203 2314360
Out of the total ANC registered, number registered within 1st trimester (within 12 weeks) 1662352.5 1605446.5
Number of PW given TT1/ Td1 1566090.5 1645625.5
Number of PW given TT2 / Td2 1392607.5 1481007
Number of PW given TT Booster/ Td Booster 491451.45 476094.6
Number of PW provided full Course 180 Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets 2002525.5 2009726
Number of PW provided full Course 360 Calcium tablets 1782147 1420106.5
Number of PW given one Albendazole tablet after 1st trimester 1112063.5 927973.95
Number of PW received 4 or more ANC check ups 1730049.5 1739785.5
Number of PW given ANC Corticosteroids in Pre Term Labour 34949.625 32516.54
New cases of PW with hypertension detected 42436.215 43997.665
Out of the new cases of PW with hypertension detected, cases managed at institution 30312.55 29495.5
Number of Eclampsia cases managed during delivery 4629.0585 4606
Number of PW tested for Haemoglobin (Hb) 4 or more than 4 times for respective ANCs 1738688.5 1874225
Number of PW having Hb level<11 (out of total tested cases)(7.1 to 10.9) 1469851 1667481
Number of PW having Hb level<7 (out of total tested cases) 68486.65 83875.165
Number of PW having severe anaemia (Hb < 7) treated 40909.89 46005.125
Number of PW tested for Blood Sugar using OGTT(Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) 336444.35 320643.6
Number of PW tested positive for GDM 8575.35 9711.25
Number of PW given insulin out of total tested positive for GDM 2204.1915 1654.708
Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis 215122.4 32318.875
Out of above, number of PW found sero positive for Syphilis 1499.99165 379.2083
Number of pregnant women tested for Syphilis 648700.65 702290.65
Number of pregnant women tested found sero positive for Syphilis 3460.9585 3535.7085
Number of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis 1436.3665 1217.208


The study revealed that there is decrease in ANC service utilization at public health facility of following services as compared to pre-pandemic era on cumulative all India basis:-

    Total number of pregnant women registered for ANC

    Number of PW given TT1/ Td1

    Number of PW given TT2 / Td2

    Number of PW provided full Course 180 Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets

    Number of PW received 4 or more ANC check ups

    Number of PW tested for Haemoglobin (Hb) 4 or more than 4 times for respective ANCs

    Number of PW having severe anaemia (Hb < 7) treated

    Number of pregnant women tested for Syphilis

An important finding is increase in following ANC service utilization at public health facility during covid-19 pandemic Era:-

    Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis

    Out of above, number of PW found sero-positive for Syphilis

    Number of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis

Table – 3- Comparison of ANC service utilization at private health facilities across India before and after covid-19 pandemic

Indicator / Private Average per month-Pandemic Era Private Average per month-Pre-Pandemic Era
Total number of pregnant women registered for ANC 101091.14 100409.19
Out of the total ANC registered, number registered within 1st trimester (within 12 weeks) 63350.035 56761.17
Number of PW given TT1/ Td1 84600.925 89210.625
Number of PW given TT2 / Td2 67020.885 74813.5
Number of PW given TT Booster/ Td Booster 23482.815 21051.165
Number of PW provided full Course 180 Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets 78354.375 62857.625
Number of PW provided full Course 360 Calcium tablets 71066.59 54066.875
Number of PW given one Albendazole tablet after 1st trimester 31719.815 17809.585
Number of PW received 4 or more ANC check ups 71029.54 62401.585
Number of PW given ANC Corticosteroids in Pre Term Labour 3071.6915 3350.7085
New cases of PW with hypertension detected 4507.6585 4620.042
Out of the new cases of PW with hypertension detected, cases managed at institution 3254.975 2987.4585
Number of Eclampsia cases managed during delivery 422.55835 399.875
Number of PW tested for Haemoglobin (Hb) 4 or more than 4 times for respective ANCs 65197.565 53030
Number of PW having Hb level<11 (out of total tested cases)(7.1 to 10.9) 38304.95 38911.625
Number of PW having Hb level<7 (out of total tested cases) 4189.7 4863.4585
Number of PW having severe anaemia (Hb < 7) treated 3198.7 3304.5
Number of PW tested for Blood Sugar using OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) 31651.565 23284.125
Number of PW tested positive for GDM 2222.8335 1774.75
Number of PW given insulin out of total tested positive for GDM 786.2 673.70835
Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis 20.1 20.33333
Out of above, number of PW found sero positive for Syphilis 0 0
Number of pregnant women tested for Syphilis 46090.865 30360.79
Number of pregnant women tested found sero positive for Syphilis 209.93335 137.83335
Number of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis 137.18335 44.166665


The study revealed that there is decrease in ANC service utilization at private health facility of following services as compared to pre-pandemic era on cumulative all India basis:-

    Number of PW given TT1/ Td1

    Number of PW given TT2 / Td2

    Number of PW given ANC Corticosteroids in Pre Term Labour

    Number of PW having severe anaemia (Hb < 7) treated

    Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis

An important finding is increase in following ANC service utilization at private health facilities during covid-19 pandemic Era:-

    Total number of pregnant women registered for ANC

    Out of the total ANC registered, number registered within 1st trimester (within 12 weeks)

    Number of PW given TT Booster/ Td Booster

    Number of PW provided full Course 180 Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets

    Number of PW provided full Course 360 Calcium tablets

    Number of PW given one Albendazole tablet after 1st trimester

    Number of PW received 4 or more ANC check ups

    Out of the new cases of PW with hypertension detected, cases managed at institution

    Number of Eclampsia cases managed during delivery

    Number of PW tested for Haemoglobin (Hb) 4 or more than 4 times for respective ANCs

    Number of PW tested for Blood Sugar using OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test)

    Number of pregnant women tested for Syphilis

    Number of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis

Table – 4- Comparison of ANC service utilization at urban health facilities across India before and after covid-19 pandemic.

Indicator / Urban Average per month-Pandemic Era Urban Average per month-Pre-Pandemic Era
Total number of pregnant women registered for ANC 518771.3 451593.7
Out of the total ANC registered, number registered within 1st trimester (within 12 weeks) 343403.05 279530.85
Number of PW given TT1/ Td1 349543.55 310719.25
Number of PW given TT2 / Td2 293695.65 269778.9
Number of PW given TT Booster/ Td Booster 102912.92 85386.455
Number of PW provided full Course 180 Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets 483290.8 393306.2
Number of PW provided full Course 360 Calcium tablets 451589.65 312952.3
Number of PW given one Albendazole tablet after 1st trimester 227563.45 155192.5
Number of PW received 4 or more ANC check ups 371357.45 297172.6
Number of PW given ANC Corticosteroids in Pre Term Labour 15494.765 7497.875
New cases of PW with hypertension detected 17067.65 10140.295
Out of the new cases of PW with hypertension detected, cases managed at institution 12952.615 7149.417
Number of Eclampsia cases managed during delivery 2449.4415 900.41685
Number of PW tested for Haemoglobin (Hb ) 4 or more than 4 times for respective ANCs 339487 291424.85
Number of PW having Hb level<11 (out of total tested cases)(7.1 to 10.9) 312497.4 298461
Number of PW having Hb level<7 (out of total tested cases) 21975.99 15978.585
Number of PW having severe anaemia (Hb < 7) treated 16918.35 9425
Number of PW tested for Blood Sugar using OGTT(Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) 125177.65 74461.67
Number of PW tested positive for GDM 5035.4085 2772.5835
Number of PW given insulin out of total tested positive for GDM 1637.3335 719.41665
Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis 734.15 328.125
Out of above, number of PW found sero positive for Syphilis 25.333335 12.666669
Number of pregnant women tested for Syphilis 255750.1 153349.8
Number of pregnant women tested found sero positive for Syphilis 1302.8334 1047.0419
Number of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis 506.975 244.6667


    The study revealed that there is significant increase in ANC service utilization at urban health facility of all the services as compared to pre-pandemic era on cumulative all India basis.

Table – 5- Comparison of ANC service utilization at rural health facilities across India before and after covid-19 pandemic

Indicator / Rural Average per month-Pandemic Era Rural Average per month-Pre-Pandemic Era
Total number of pregnant women registered for ANC 1790520 1963175.5
Out of the total ANC registered, number registered within 1st trimester (within 12 weeks) 1382296 1382677.5
Number of PW given TT1/ Td1 1301144.5 1424117
Number of PW given TT2 / Td2 1165928 1286041.5
Number of PW given TT Booster/ Td Booster 412021.3 411759.3
Number of PW provided full Course 180 Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets 1597586 1679277.5
Number of PW provided full Course 360 Calcium tablets 1401620.5 1161220.9
Number of PW given one Albendazole tablet after 1st trimester 916217.85 790591.3
Number of PW received 4 or more ANC check ups 1429718.5 1505014
Number of PW given ANC Corticosteroids in Pre Term Labour 22526.55 28369.375
New cases of PW with hypertension detected 29876.225 38477.415
Out of the new cases of PW with hypertension detected, cases managed at institution 20614.91 25333.54
Number of Eclampsia cases managed during delivery 2602.175 4105.4585
Number of PW tested for Haemoglobin (Hb ) 4 or more than 4 times for respective ANCs 1464396 1635830.5
Number of PW having Hb level<11 (out of total tested cases)(7.1 to 10.9) 1195653 1407931.5
Number of PW having Hb level<7 (out of total tested cases) 50700.36 72760.04
Number of PW having severe anaemia (Hb < 7) treated 27190.24 39884.625
Number of PW tested for Blood Sugar using OGTT(Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) 242917.6 269466.1
Number of PW tested positive for GDM 5762.775 8713.417
Number of PW given insulin out of total tested positive for GDM 1353.0585 1609
Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis 214408.35 32011.08
Out of above, number of PW found sero positive for Syphilis 1474.6584 366.5417
Number of pregnant women tested for Syphilis 439041.45 579301.65
Number of pregnant women tested found sero positive for Syphilis 2368.0585 2626.5
Number of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis 1066.575 1016.7084

The study revealed that there is decrease in almost all ANC service utilization at rural health facility except following services as compared to pre-pandemic era on cumulative all India basis:-

    Number of PW given TT Booster/ Td Booster

    Number of PW provided full Course 360 Calcium tablets

    Number of PW given one Albendazole tablet after 1st trimester

    Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis

    Number of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis

Discussion[edit | edit source]

The study revealed that there is decrease in ANC service utilization of following services as compared to pre-pandemic era on cumulative all India basis:-

Ø  Total number of pregnant women registered for ANC

Ø  Number of PW given TT1/ Td1

Ø  Number of PW given TT2 / Td2

Ø  Number of PW received 4 or more ANC check ups

Ø  Number of PW tested for Haemoglobin (Hb) 4 or more than 4 times for respective ANCs

Ø  Number of pregnant women tested for Syphilis

An important finding is increase in following ANC service utilization during covid-19 pandemic Era:-

Ø  Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis

Ø  Out of above, number of PW found sero-positive for Syphilis

Ø  Number of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis

This research study finding also revealed that urban health facility where maximum private health facilities are available was found to be associated with significantly increased utilization of antenatal care services in the pandemic era. This finding was supported by the accredited data source of HMIS –MoHFW-GoI. This might be related to the fact that pregnant women residing in urban areas may have better access as well as affordability-availability of different health facilities and better knowledge about the significance of ANC utilization.

This research study finding also revealed that rural health facility where mostly public health facilities are available was found to be associated with significantly decreased utilization of antenatal care services in the pandemic era. This finding was supported by the accredited data source of HMIS –MoHFW-GoI. This might be related to the fact that pregnant women residing in rural areas may have limited access as well as limited affordability-availability of different health facilities and lesser knowledge about the significance of ANC utilization added with lack of transport accessibility. This might be because of other reasons like fear of contracting disease stay-at-home orders leading to greater loss of income, reduced capability or (OOPE) purchasing power, resulting in inability to pay for services which in turn limit utilization of ANC services.

The situation is harsher in rural areas of developing countries like India due to the lack of proper infrastructure at public health facilities and limited resources. This might be due to public health system collapse or intentional individual choices made by public in responding to the pandemic, workforce diversion-reduction at rural-public health facilities, access reduction, and also some health facility may have restricted number of regular ANC visits due to possible fear of the pregnant women contracting coronavirus.

Strength and Limitation of the study

The cross-sectional retrospective nature of this study was one of the main limitations of this research study. Another limitation is availability of data from any other accredited and established source recognized worldwide. Furthermore, this study is not done with primary method of data collection. The main strength is that the whole study is based on real time based accredited government data sources which is also available 24x7 to the visitors.

Conclusion and Recommendation[edit | edit source]

This research study findings showed that the covid-19 pandemic reduced the utilization of various antenatal health care services among pregnant women in India as compared to the pre-pandemic period. Hence author recommends more efforts in rural areas as well as improvement in public health facilities for enhancing ANC health services. Various types of IEC (Information, Education and Communication) materials should be distributed to raise awareness regarding the protective ANC services for pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also useful to start telecommunication-consultation services to help pregnant women. In addition, virtual consultation with gynaecologist- obstetricians can be provided via tele-consultation services, to women who need maternal health services.

Implications of the Study[edit | edit source]

COVID-19 pandemic has caused interference in delivery of health services on the global scale, including ANC. Due to this global pandemic, women who are considered a vulnerable group in time of distress particularly pregnant women are facing more barriers in availing-affording-accessing healthcare services. This is due to several reasons including covid-19 guidelines-restrictions, transport related, anxiety, and fear of being exposed to coronavirus. This study demonstrates that improving the public and rural health facilities requirements which are not doing well in pandemic era would help to improve ANC services utilization during ongoing pandemic. Effective guidelines of preventive and clinical strategies are required to be implemented to control COVID-19 infection among pregnant women. Governments should also need to make policies during ongoing pandemic to make sure that pregnant-women can access ANC health services to protect themselves and their babies. Additionally, more arrangements should be made during pandemic to ensure transportation, accessibility, affordability and availability of ANC services during lockdown etc., to achieve SDG goal as well as health for all goals.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks go to my wife Advocate Anupama and daughters Aathmika-Atheeva for their co-operation in accomplishment of this work.

Abbreviations

ANC, Antenatal care; COVID-19, Coronavirus disease; WHO, World Health Organization; HMIS, Health Management Information System; MoHFW, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; GoI, Government of India; OOPE, Out of Pocket Expense; IEC, Information, Education and Communication;

Disclosure

The author reports no conflicts of interest for this research study.

Declarations[edit | edit source]

-This version of paper has not been previously published in any peer reviewed journal and is not currently under consideration by any journal. The document is Microsoft word with English (United States) language & 4910 words (8326 words Total).

- Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. This study has not involved any human or animals in real or for experiments.

-Consent for publication: The authors provide consent for publication for increasing awareness and sharing knowledge to people who need it.

-Availability of data and materials: Electronic records from HMIS (health management information system) of MoHFW (ministry of health and family welfare), Government of India.

-Conflicts of Interest/ Competing Interest: There are no conflicts / competing of interest

- Funding-Self sponsored. No aid taken from individual or agency etc.

- Authors' contributions: The whole work is done by the Author - Dr Piyush Kumar, M.B.B.S., E.M.O.C., P.G.D.P.H.M., -Senior General Medical Officer- Bihar Health Services- Health Department- Government of Bihar, India.

- Acknowledgements- I am thankful to Advocate Anupama my wife and daughters Aathmika-Atheeva for cooperation.

- Author information: The author is currently working as Senior General Medical Officer for the government of Bihar.

-Financial Support & sponsorship: Nil

-Author contact information

Department of Health, Government of Bihar, MOBILE - +919955301119/+917677833752, Email [[1]]

Extra – Tables for data        Table – 6- All Health Facilities – ANC services

Indicator/

Variables

Grand Total Jan-May 2021 Average per Month up to May 2021 Grand Total Jan-Dec 2020 Average per Month 2020 Grand Total Jan-Dec 2019 Average per Month 2019 Grand Total Jan-Dec 2018 Average per Month 2018
Total number of pregnant women registered for ANC 11705003 2341001 27331061 2277588.4 29239176 2436598 28715284 2392940
Out of the total ANC registered, number registered within 1st trimester (within 12 weeks) 8857190 1771438 20159599 1679966.6 20651001 1720917 19241988 1603499
Number of PW given TT1/ Td1 8373701 1674740 19519707 1626642.3 20914454 1742871 20721613 1726801
Number of PW given TT2 / Td2 7315183 1463037 17474638 1456219.8 18690487 1557541 18649203 1554100
Number of PW given TT Booster/ Td Booster 2586422 517284.4 6151009 512584.08 6126384 510532 5805114 483759.5
Number of PW provided full Course 180 Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets 10498110 2099622 24745654 2062137.8 25914433 2159536 23827573 1985631
Number of PW provided full Course 360 Calcium tablets 9536074 1907215 21590545 1799212.1 20071256 1672605 15308904 1275742
Number of PW given one Albendazole tablet after 1st trimester 5914302 1182860 13256472 1104706 12398974 1033248 10299836 858319.7
Number of PW received 4 or more ANC check ups 9050827 1810165 21503916 1791993 22797902 1899825 20454580 1704548
Number of PW given ANC Corticosteroids in Pre Term Labour 193519 38703.8 448066 37338.833 438607 36550.58 422207 35183.92
New cases of PW with hypertension detected 235295 47059 561945 46828.75 596384 49698.67 570441 47536.75
Out of the new cases of PW with hypertension detected, cases managed at institution 167139 33427.8 404487 33707.25 409638 34136.5 369953 30829.42
Number of Eclampsia cases managed during delivery 23372 4674.4 65146 5428.8333 66706 5558.833 53435 4452.917
Number of PW tested for Haemoglobin (Hb ) 4 or more than 4 times for respective ANCs 9086072 1817214 21486690 1790557.5 24089887 2007491 22164234 1847020
Number of PW having Hb level<11 (out of total tested cases)(7.1 to 10.9) 7557869 1511574 18056856 1504738 20886670 1740556 20066753 1672229
Number of PW having Hb level<7 (out of total tested cases) 353876 70775.2 894930 74577.5 1092858 91071.5 1036869 86405.75
Number of PW having severe anaemia (Hb < 7) treated 214203 42840.6 544519 45376.583 645662 53805.17 537769 44814.08
Number of PW tested for Blood Sugar using OGTT(Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) 1950046 390009.2 4154191 346182.58 4554319 379526.6 3699947 308328.9
Number of PW tested positive for GDM 59466 11893.2 116438 9703.1667 145591 12132.58 130073 10839.42
Number of PW given insulin out of total tested positive for GDM 17071 3414.2 30799 2566.5833 30034 2502.833 25848 2154
Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis 1273526 254705.2 2106957 175579.75 639764 53313.67 136377 11364.75
Out of above, number of PW found sero-positive for Syphilis 10722 2144.4 10267 855.58333 5032 419.3333 4069 339.0833
Number of pregnant women tested for Syphilis 3522324 704464.8 8221419 685118.25 9965701 830475.1 7617933 634827.8
Number of pregnant women tested found sero positive for Syphilis 19916 3983.2 40303 3358.5833 43058 3588.167 45107 3758.917
Number of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis 10098 2019.6 13530 1127.5 14911 1242.583 15362 1280.167

Table – 7-Public Health Facilities – ANC services

Indicator /

Variables

Total Public 2021 Jan-May 2021 Public Average per Month up to May 2021 Total Public 2021 Jan-Dec 2020 Public Average per Month Jan to Dec 2020 Total Public 2021 Jan-Dec 2019 Average Public per Month Jan to Dec 2019 Total Public 2021 Jan-Dec 2018 Average Public per Month Jan to Dec 2018
Total number of pregnant women registered for ANC 11160472 2232094 26211748 2184312 27957956 2329830 27586683 2298890
Out of the total ANC registered, number registered within 1st trimester (within 12 weeks) 8514618 1702924 19461371 1621781 19929073 1660756 18601648 1550137
Number of PW given TT1/ Td1 7928918 1585784 18556764 1546397 19831929 1652661 19663083 1638590
Number of PW given TT2 / Td2 6973390 1394678 16686440 1390537 17788326 1482361 17755840 1479653
Number of PW given TT Booster/ Td Booster 2459103 491820.6 5892987 491082.3 5848872 487406 5577398 464783.2
Number of PW provided full Course 180 Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets 10076105 2015221 23877961 1989830 25142496 2095208 23090927 1924244
Number of PW provided full Course 360 Calcium tablets 9152196 1830439 20806254 1733855 19406749 1617229 14675806 1222984
Number of PW given one Albendazole tablet after 1st trimester 5733438 1146688 12929270 1077439 12165461 1013788 10105919 842159.9
Number of PW received 4 or more ANC check ups 8665872 1733174 20723099 1726925 22004864 1833739 19749980 1645832
Number of PW given ANC Corticosteroids in Pre Term Labour 176745 35349 414603 34550.25 395614 32967.83 384783 32065.25
New cases of PW with hypertension detected 210113 42022.6 514198 42849.83 540639 45053.25 515305 42942.08
Out of the new cases of PW with hypertension detected, cases managed at institution 148783 29756.6 370422 30868.5 372165 31013.75 335727 27977.25
Number of Eclampsia cases managed during delivery 21481 4296.2 59543 4961.917 60550 5045.833 49994 4166.167
Number of PW tested for Haemoglobin (Hb ) 4 or more than 4 times for respective ANCs 8730348 1746070 20775686 1731307 23393149 1949429 21588252 1799021
Number of PW having Hb level<11 (out of total tested cases)(7.1 to 10.9) 7362887 1472577 17605494 1467125 20399373 1699948 19620171 1635014
Number of PW having Hb level<7 (out of total tested cases) 332124 66424.8 846582 70548.5 1034914 86242.83 978090 81507.5
Number of PW having severe anaemia (Hb < 7) treated 197901 39580.2 506875 42239.58 602132 50177.67 501991 41832.58
Number of PW tested for Blood Sugar using OGTT(Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) 1771947 354389.4 3821991 318499.3 4259770 354980.8 3435677 286306.4
Number of PW tested positive for GDM 46516 9303.2 94170 7847.5 124008 10334 109062 9088.5
Number of PW given insulin out of total tested positive for GDM 12474 2494.8 22963 1913.583 21787 1815.583 17926 1493.833
Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis 1273485 254697 2106573 175547.8 639535 53294.58 136118 11343.17
Out of above, number of PW found sero positive for Syphilis 10722 2144.4 10267 855.5833 5032 419.3333 4069 339.0833
Number of pregnant women tested for Syphilis 3263317 652663.4 7736855 644737.9 9527811 793984.3 7327164 610597
Number of pregnant women tested found sero positive for Syphilis 18695 3739 38195 3182.917 41357 3446.417 43500 3625
Number of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis 9252 1850.4 12268 1022.333 14296 1191.333 14917 1243.083

Table – 8 - Private Health Facilities – ANC services

Indicator / Variables Total Private 2021 Jan-May 2021 Private Average per Month up to May 2021 Total Private 2021 Jan-Dec 2020 Private Average per Month Jan to Dec 2020 Total Private 2021 Jan-Dec 2019 Private Average per Month Jan to Dec 2019 Total Private 2021 Jan-Dec 2018 Private Average per Month Jan to Dec 2018
Total number of pregnant women registered for ANC 544531 108906.2 1119313 93276.08 1281220 106768.3 1128601 94050.08
Out of the total ANC registered, number registered within 1st trimester (within 12 weeks) 342572 68514.4 698228 58185.67 721928 60160.67 640340 53361.67
Number of PW given TT1/ Td1 444783 88956.6 962943 80245.25 1082525 90210.42 1058530 88210.83
Number of PW given TT2 / Td2 341793 68358.6 788198 65683.17 902161 75180.08 893363 74446.92
Number of PW given TT Booster/ Td Booster 127319 25463.8 258022 21501.83 277512 23126 227716 18976.33
Number of PW provided full Course 180 Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets 422005 84401 867693 72307.75 771937 64328.08 736646 61387.17
Number of PW provided full Course 360 Calcium tablets 383878 76775.6 784291 65357.58 664507 55375.58 633098 52758.17
Number of PW given one Albendazole tablet after 1st trimester 180864 36172.8 327202 27266.83 233513 19459.42 193917 16159.75
Number of PW received 4 or more ANC check ups 384955 76991 780817 65068.08 793038 66086.5 704600 58716.67
Number of PW given ANC Corticosteroids in Pre Term Labour 16774 3354.8 33463 2788.583 42993 3582.75 37424 3118.667
New cases of PW with hypertension detected 25182 5036.4 47747 3978.917 55745 4645.417 55136 4594.667
Out of the new cases of PW with hypertension detected, cases managed at institution 18356 3671.2 34065 2838.75 37473 3122.75 34226 2852.167
Number of Eclampsia cases managed during delivery 1891 378.2 5603 466.9167 6156 513 3441 286.75
Number of PW tested for Haemoglobin (Hb ) 4 or more than 4 times for respective ANCs 355724 71144.8 711004 59250.33 696738 58061.5 575982 47998.5
Number of PW having Hb level<11 (out of total tested cases)(7.1 to 10.9) 194982 38996.4 451362 37613.5 487297 40608.08 446582 37215.17
Number of PW having Hb level<7 (out of total tested cases) 21752 4350.4 48348 4029 57944 4828.667 58779 4898.25
Number of PW having severe anaemia (Hb < 7) treated 16302 3260.4 37644 3137 43530 3627.5 35778 2981.5
Number of PW tested for Blood Sugar using OGTT(Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) 178099 35619.8 332200 27683.33 294549 24545.75 264270 22022.5
Number of PW tested positive for GDM 12950 2590 22268 1855.667 21583 1798.583 21011 1750.917
Number of PW given insulin out of total tested positive for GDM 4597 919.4 7836 653 8247 687.25 7922 660.1667
Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis 41 8.2 384 32 229 19.08333 259 21.58333
Out of above, number of PW found sero positive for Syphilis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Number of pregnant women tested for Syphilis 259007 51801.4 484564 40380.33 437890 36490.83 290769 24230.75
Number of pregnant women tested found sero positive for Syphilis 1221 244.2 2108 175.6667 1701 141.75 1607 133.9167
Number of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis 846 169.2 1262 105.1667 615 51.25 445 37.08333

Table – 9- Urban Health Facilities – ANC services

Indicator / Variables Total Urban 2021 Jan-May 2021 Urban Average per Month up to May 2021 Total Urban 2021 Jan-Dec 2020 Urban Average per Month Jan to Dec 2020 Total Urban 2021 Jan-Dec 2019 Urban Average per Month Jan to Dec 2019 Total Urban 2021 Jan-Dec 2018 Urban Average per Month Jan to Dec 2018
Total number of pregnant women registered for ANC 2799199 559839.8 5732434 477702.8 5522753 460229.4 5315496 442958
Out of the total ANC registered, number registered within 1st trimester (within 12 weeks) 1861673 372334.6 3773658 314471.5 3516878 293073.2 3191862 265988.5
Number of PW given TT1/ Td1 1874643 374928.6 3889902 324158.5 3781616 315134.7 3675646 306303.8
Number of PW given TT2 / Td2 1559647 311929.4 3305543 275461.9 3270384 272532 3204310 267025.8
Number of PW given TT Booster/ Td Booster 548880 109776 1152598 96049.83 1072381 89365.08 976894 81407.83
Number of PW provided full Course 180 Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets 2595186 519037.2 5370533 447544.4 5025207 418767.3 4414141 367845.1
Number of PW provided full Course 360 Calcium tablets 2480328 496065.6 4885364 407113.7 4159912 346659.3 3350943 279245.3
Number of PW given one Albendazole tablet after 1st trimester 1246800 249360 2469203 205766.9 2059035 171586.3 1665584 138798.7
Number of PW received 4 or more ANC check ups 1982283 396456.6 4155099 346258.3 3695493 307957.8 3436649 286387.4
Number of PW given ANC Corticosteroids in Pre Term Labour 85226 17045.2 167332 13944.33 94715 7892.917 85234 7102.833
New cases of PW with hypertension detected 95254 19050.8 181014 15084.5 122078 10173.17 121289 10107.42
Out of the new cases of PW with hypertension detected, cases managed at institution 73207 14641.4 135166 11263.83 89324 7443.667 82262 6855.167
Number of Eclampsia cases managed during delivery 12264 2452.8 29353 2446.083 12377 1031.417 9233 769.4167
Number of PW tested for Haemoglobin (Hb ) 4 or more than 4 times for respective ANCs 1807395 361479 3809940 317495 3675673 306306.1 3318523 276543.6
Number of PW having Hb level<11 (out of total tested cases)(7.1 to 10.9) 1663484 332696.8 3507576 292298 3569087 297423.9 3593977 299498.1
Number of PW having Hb level<7 (out of total tested cases) 122577 24515.4 233239 19436.58 180239 15019.92 203247 16937.25
Number of PW having severe anaemia (Hb < 7) treated 94726 18945.2 178698 14891.5 114580 9548.333 111620 9301.667
Number of PW tested for Blood Sugar using OGTT(Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) 714372 142874.4 1289771 107480.9 958592 79882.67 828488 69040.67
Number of PW tested positive for GDM 30337 6067.4 48041 4003.417 31688 2640.667 34854 2904.5
Number of PW given insulin out of total tested positive for GDM 10755 2151 13484 1123.667 8956 746.3333 8310 692.5
Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis 3924 784.8 8202 683.5 4858 404.8333 3017 251.4167
Out of above, number of PW found sero positive for Syphilis 145 29 260 21.66667 95 7.916667 209 17.41667
Number of pregnant women tested for Syphilis 1398620 279724 2781314 231776.2 2089149 174095.8 1591245 132603.8
Number of pregnant women tested found sero positive for Syphilis 8205 1641 11576 964.6667 9635 802.9167 15494 1291.167
Number of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis 3476 695.2 3825 318.75 3257 271.4167 2615 217.9167

Table – 10 - Rural Health Facilities – ANC services

Indicator Total Rural 2021 Jan-May 2021 Rural Average per Month up to May 2021 Total Rural 2021 Jan-Dec 2020 Rural Average per Month Jan to Dec 2020 Total Rural 2021 Jan-Dec 2019 Rural Average per Month Jan to Dec 2019 Total Rural 2021 Jan-Dec 2018 Rural Average per Month Jan to Dec 2018
Total number of pregnant women registered for ANC 8905795 1781159 21598577 1799881 23716423 1976369 23399788 1949982
Out of the total ANC registered, number registered within 1st trimester (within 12 weeks) 6995507 1399101 16385892 1365491 17134123 1427844 16050126 1337511
Number of PW given TT1/ Td1 6499047 1299809 15629757 1302480 17132838 1427737 17045967 1420497
Number of PW given TT2 / Td2 5755512 1151102 14169045 1180754 15420103 1285009 15444893 1287074
Number of PW given TT Booster/ Td Booster 2037542 407508.4 4998410 416534.2 5054003 421166.9 4828220 402351.7
Number of PW provided full Course 180 Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets 7902913 1580583 19375067 1614589 20889226 1740769 19413432 1617786
Number of PW provided full Course 360 Calcium tablets 7055735 1411147 16705127 1392094 15911344 1325945 11957961 996496.8
Number of PW given one Albendazole tablet after 1st trimester 4667496 933499.2 10787238 898936.5 10339939 861661.6 8634252 719521
Number of PW received 4 or more ANC check ups 7068527 1413705 17348781 1445732 19102409 1591867 17017931 1418161
Number of PW given ANC Corticosteroids in Pre Term Labour 108293 21658.6 280734 23394.5 343892 28657.67 336973 28081.08
New cases of PW with hypertension detected 140041 28008.2 380931 31744.25 474306 39525.5 449152 37429.33
Out of the new cases of PW with hypertension detected, cases managed at institution 93932 18786.4 269321 22443.42 320314 26692.83 287691 23974.25
Number of Eclampsia cases managed during delivery 11108 2221.6 35793 2982.75 54329 4527.417 44202 3683.5
Number of PW tested for Haemoglobin (Hb ) 4 or more than 4 times for respective ANCs 7278667 1455733 17676713 1473059 20414214 1701185 18845711 1570476
Number of PW having Hb level<11 (out of total tested cases)(7.1 to 10.9) 5894375 1178875 14549176 1212431 17317583 1443132 16472776 1372731
Number of PW having Hb level<7 (out of total tested cases) 231299 46259.8 661691 55140.92 912619 76051.58 833622 69468.5
Number of PW having severe anaemia (Hb < 7) treated 119477 23895.4 365821 30485.08 531082 44256.83 426149 35512.42
Number of PW tested for Blood Sugar using OGTT(Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) 1235674 247134.8 2864405 238700.4 3595727 299643.9 2871459 239288.3
Number of PW tested positive for GDM 29129 5825.8 68397 5699.75 113903 9491.917 95219 7934.917
Number of PW given insulin out of total tested positive for GDM 6316 1263.2 17315 1442.917 21078 1756.5 17538 1461.5
Number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis 1269602 253920.4 2098755 174896.3 634906 52908.83 133360 11113.33
Out of above, number of PW found sero positive for Syphilis 10577 2115.4 10007 833.9167 4937 411.4167 3860 321.6667
No of pregnant women tested for Syphilis 2123704 424740.8 5440105 453342.1 7876552 656379.3 6026688 502224
No of pregnant women tested found sero positive for Syphilis 11711 2342.2 28727 2393.917 33423 2785.25 29613 2467.75
No of syphilis positive pregnant women treated for Syphilis 6622 1324.4 9705 808.75 11654 971.1667 12747 1062.25

Additional information[edit | edit source]

Acknowledgements[edit | edit source]

I am thankful to Advocate Anupama my wife and daughters Aathmika-Atheeva for cooperation.

Competing interests[edit | edit source]

There are no conflicts / competing of interest.

Ethics statement[edit | edit source]

Not applicable. This study has not involved any human or animals in real or for experiments.

References[edit | edit source]

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  2. Kumar; Piyush, Dr (2022-01-23). What Is the Impact of COVID-19 on the Antenatal Care Services Utilization in Public-Private-Rural-Urban Hospitals of India During the COVID-19 Pandemic Period of 2020-2021 Compared to Pre-Pandemic Era 2018-2019? (in en). Rochester, NY. https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=4015849. 
  3. osf.io. doi:10.31219/osf.io/q7pgv https://osf.io/q7pgv/. Retrieved 2022-02-02. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. Kumar, Dr Piyush (2022-01-22). What is the impact of Covid-19 on the Antenatal Care Services Utilization in Public-Private-Rural-Urban Hospitals of India during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period of 2020-2021 compared to pre-pandemic era 2018-2019?. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358038123_What_is_the_impact_of_Covid-19_on_the_Antenatal_Care_Services_Utilization_in_Public-Private-Rural-Urban_Hospitals_of_India_during_the_COVID-19_Pandemic_Period_of_2020-2021_compared_to_pre-pandemic_era. 
  5. Kumar, Piyush; Farooqui, Habib Hasan (2021). "What is the Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the RCH (Reproductive and Child Health) Programme in Rajasthan, Because of Nationwide Lockdown (April 2020 to June 2020)?". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3914646. ISSN 1556-5068. https://www.ssrn.com/abstract=3914646. 
  6. Kumar, Dr Piyush (2021). "What Are the Factors Responsible for Increase in SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Pandemic Related Cases and Death in India in 2021? How Does Environmental, Host & Agent Factors of Epidemiological Triad Do Influence & Can Be Utilised to Manage Ongoing Pandemic Cases and Deaths?". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3833788. ISSN 1556-5068. https://www.ssrn.com/abstract=3833788. 
  7. "COVID Live - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer". www.worldometers.info. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  8. World Health Organization (2016). WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience.. Geneva, Switzerland. ISBN 978-92-4-154991-2. OCLC 974355266. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/974355266. 
  9. "Maternal mortality". www.who.int. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  10. "National Family Health Survey". rchiips.org. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  11. Kumar, Piyush (2021-03-25). What Impact Have SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 Pandemic on the Reproductive and Child Health Programme of India over the 3 months after nationwide Lock down announcement in March 2020 -A brief analysis.. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-360551/v1. https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-360551/v1. 
  12. Kumar, Piyush (2021-03-30). What Impact Have SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 Pandemic on the Reproductive and Child Health Programme of Bihar in India over the 3 months after nationwide Lock down announcement in March 2020? How SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic era does influence RCH Programme? Immunisation? Maternal Health? Family Planning?. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-348841/v4. https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-348841/v4. 
  13. What Impact Have SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 Pandemic on the Reproductive and Child Health Programme of Uttar Pradesh in India over the 3 months after nationwide Lockdown announcement in March 2020 -A brief analysis. 2021-03-29. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-350287/v2. https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-350287/v2. 
  14. Kumar, Piyush; Anupama, Advocate (2022-01-14). What impact have Covid-19 pandemic era on violence against women in India - A retrospective comparative research study from January 2018 to December 2021. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-1256722/v2. https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-1256722/v2. 
  15. Piyush Kumar, Dr Piyush Kumar (2021). "What Impact Have SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Pandemic on Domestic Violence against Women in India across Different States and Union Territories from the Beginning of Lockdown Due to COVID-19 Pandemic in March 2020 Till 20Th September 2020? How COVID-19 Pandemic Induced Lockdown Influence Mental Health of Women in India?". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3826837. ISSN 1556-5068. https://www.ssrn.com/abstract=3826837. 
  16. Kumar, Piyush (2021). "What Impact Have SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Pandemic Induced Lockdown on the Number of OPD Patients of Diabetes, Hypertension, Stroke (CVA), Acute Heart Disease, Mental Illness, Epilepsy, Ophthalmic, Dental and Oncology in India During the Lockdown Months (April-May-2020)–Observational Research Analysis?". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3884940. ISSN 1556-5068. https://www.ssrn.com/abstract=3884940. 
  17. Kumar, Piyush (2022). "What impact Have COVID-19 Pandemic on Number of Death Occurring at the Emergency Department: A Retrospective Analysis of Mortality in India From January 2019 to May 2021". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.4006146. ISSN 1556-5068. https://www.ssrn.com/abstract=4006146. 
  18. E.M.O.C.,, Dr Piyush Kumar,M.B.B.S., (2021-05-10). What are the factors responsible for increase in SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 Pandemic related cases and death in India in 2021? How does environmental, host & agent factors of epidemiological triad do influence & can be utilised to manage ongoing pandemic cases and deaths?. doi:10.22541/au.162066514.40049074/v1. https://www.authorea.com/users/404438/articles/519451-what-are-the-factors-responsible-for-increase-in-sars-cov-2-covid-19-pandemic-related-cases-and-death-in-india-in-2021-how-does-environmental-host-agent-factors-of-epidemiological-triad-do-influence-can-be-utilised-to-manage-ongoing-pandemic-cases-and-deaths?commit=5e484c2996464ae8dbe75a8e4e219198052c486a.