Assessment of Problems & Challenges faced by Anti-retroviral Therapy Seekers at an ART Centre of tertiary care hospital during the COVID-19 -pandemic

Background: The prodigious COVID-19 pandemic has gravely impacted people with pre-existing health issues and has also had a negative impact how these health issues were managed.C0VID -19 pandemic has a significant impact on patient receiving treatment in tertiary care hospitals.HIV care cascade disruption linked to the COVID-19 Pandemic. COVID-19 pandemic-associated disruptions in the HIV care cascade. Even temporary disruptions in ART services can cause long-term increases in HIV-associated morbidity and mortality. So, this study was worked out to evaluate problems faced by the beneficiaries due to the COVID-19 pandemic in seeking services at ART centers Aim & Objective: Aim was to assess the various problems encountered by ART seekers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary objective was to identify the key challenges faced by ART seekers in accessing treatment and follow-up services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Settings and Design: A teaching hospital's ART centre served as the study's location. The study's cross-sectional design was intended to accomplish the objectives. Methods and Material: A cross-sectional study was planned to inquire about the challenges faced by HIV patients in availing of ART services during the spread COVID-19 across the world. Antiretroviral therapy seekers getting treatment from a selected ART center were included in the study. Problems faced by participants during the pandemic in availing of ART services were recorded with the help of semi-structured proforma. Statistical analysis used: Statistical data analysis was carried out with the assistance of SPSS -24. Chi-square test was applied for find out the association. Results: Almost 35% of participants could not turn up on time for follow-up as scheduled, and 24% reported deterioration due to difficult access to ART services during the universal spread of COVID-19 . A statistically significant relationship was found between the status of follow-up with sex and occupation Conclusions: The present study concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected ART seeker's accessibility to health care. Movement restriction was the main problem & missed follow-up was the most common challenge faced by ART seekers during the COVID-19 pandemic.