ABSTRACT
COVID-19, commonly known as the novel Coronavirus which originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019 has become a severe public health emergency for citizens, societies and the global community at large. The pandemic is imposing a heavy burden on individuals and societies, and putting healthcare systems under severe strain. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed how outpatient care is delivered in healthcare practice. A consequence of the pandemic has been the under-utilization of important medical services for patients with non-COVID-19-related urgent and emergent health needs. With the incidence and effects of COVID-19 varying among communities, healthcare systems in Ghana must consider the local level transmission of COVID-19 when making decisions about the provision of non-COVID-19 medical services. Older people are noted to suffer a wide array of psychological distresses, chronic conditions and multimorbidities which possibly increases their demand for healthcare.
