Maintaining essential non-communicable disease services in the Eastern Mediterranean Region during the COVID-19...

Health systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, struggled to maintain essential noncommunicable disease services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We assessed the extent of disruptions to non-communicable disease services in the Eastern Mediterranean Region during the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring the challenges and mitigation strategies.

From October to December 2021, we interviewed WHO country focal points for non-communicable disease from 16 Eastern Mediterranean Region countries and analysed the data.

Emergency and primary care services were disrupted in most of the countries. One country experienced total disruption to primary care while 7 experienced at least 50% disruption. The proportion of fully disrupted essential non-communicable disease services was highest in the lower-middle income countries. Specialized services, including cancer screening and radiotherapy, were more severely affected, while dialysis was relatively well-maintained. The most frequently mentioned reasons for disruption were fear of contagion, staff redeployment to COVID-19 response, lack of access to services due to lockdowns, and cancellation of elective procedures. Two of the mitigation measures were use of telemedicine and community volunteers and home drug delivery.

COVID-19 caused disruptions to non-communicable disease services in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, however, some countries implemented measures to mitigate the disruptions. There is a need for long-term, sustainable, integrated and well-coordinated national and regional strategies that will ensure the continuity of non-communicable disease services during emergencies and pandemics.