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Background: The novel coronavirus has caused a profound impact on service utilization or delivery practices of health facilities globally. This study aims to evaluate the trend of health service utilization before and during the COVID-19 pandemic at selected hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia., Method: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 st through 30 th of August 2020 using a mixed-methods design. For the quantitative evaluation, ten months' time-series data, starting from September 2019 to July 2020 was retrieved from the HMIS unit of each hospital. Microsoft excel v.2010 was used to analyze quantitative data. Qualitative data was collected using a semi-structured key-informant interview guide and analyzed using QDA-minor software., Results: Twelve service delivery departments were included in the evaluation of each hospital. Of all, OPD, ART, VCT, PICT, and EPI services showed major disruption in both hospitals following the COVID-19 outbreak. Noticeable change was recorded in March and April for most units. Qualitative exploration showed multiple challenges namely; inadequate supply, poor infrastructure, low service utilization, staff workload, increased risk, poor job satisfaction of health professionals, and perception or attitude-related problems to be persistent at the hospitals., Conclusion: Main service delivery units of the hospitals, such as OPD, ART, VCT, PICT, and EPI have faced massive depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. The facilities had also encountered multifaceted challenges most from the internal environment. Immediate action should be in place to halt the negative impacts of the pandemic on the identified spots and challenges., (© 2021 Tariku Shimels.)

Objective: This study aims to assess the magnitude and associated factors of poor medication adherence among diabetic and hypertensive patients visiting public health facilities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: A multi-site cross-sectional design was conducted from 1st through 30th of August 2020 at public health facilities of the study area. Adult outpatients with T2DM and hypertension visiting hospitals and health centers were included in the study. A proportion to size allocation method was used to determine the required sample size per facility. Data was collected using the 8-item Morisky medication adherence scale. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to analyze data. A 95% confidence interval and p≤0.05 statistical significance was considered to determine factors associated with poor medication adherence., Results: A total of 409 patients were included in the present study. About 57% of the patients reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed negative impacts on either of their follow-up visits, availability of medications, or affordability of prices. And, 21% have reported that they have been affected in all aspects. The overall magnitude of poor medication adherence was 72%. Patients with extreme poverty were more likely to have good medication adherence (AOR: 0.59; 95%C.I: 0.36-0.97), whereas attendance to a health center (AOR: 1.71; 95%C.I: 1.02-2.85), presence of comorbidity (AOR: 2.05; 95%C.I: 1.13-3.71), and current substance use history (AOR: 11.57; 95%C.I: 1.52-88.05) predicted high odds of poor adherence., Conclusion: Over a three-fourth of the patients, in the study setting, have poor adherence to their anti-diabetic and antihypertensive medications. Health facility type, income level, comorbidity, and current substance use history showed a statistically significant association with poor adherence to medication. Stakeholders should set alternative strategies as perceived impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on medication adherence are high in the study area., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.