Disability inclusion in African health systems’ responses during COVID-19: A scoping review

Abstract

Background: People with disabilities often experience poorer access to healthcare because of multiple barriers even in non-crisis times, especially more so in low- and middle-income countries. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic significantly constrained health systems, thus exacerbating access barriers. African health system responses to, and considerations made for people with disabilities during the pandemic have not been adequately examined to inform future inclusive practices during emergent and non-emergent periods. Objectives: This review aimed to explore disability considerations and accommodations included by African governments in their health systems’ responses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A scoping review was carried out of peer-reviewed published articles on the Web of Science, Academic Search Premier, MEDLINE, Africa-Wide Info, and CINAHL databases. A desktop search of African government websites for COVID-19 country plans and reports was also conducted. Deductive thematic analysis of included texts was performed to identify disability inclusiveness in the health responses. Results: Ten peer-reviewed articles and three COVID-19 country plans or reports were included in the review. Data reflected a general finding that included countries that failed to effectively consider and include the healthcare needs of persons with disabilities during the pandemic. Conclusion: Poor inclusion of persons with disabilities was effected in healthcare systems’ responses during COVID-19 in Africa. Contribution: This article contributed insights about gaps in healthcare systems’ responses and highlighted development foci that could improve systems towards greater inclusivity of persons with disabilities’ health needs in low- and middle-income countries.