Exploring the pre- and post-COVID lived experiences and preparedness of rural informal healthcare workers: A qualitative study from Pakistan

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to come up with an impactful nunderstanding of the role of informal rural healthcare workers as am 
affective and affordable healthcare service provision. The study determines the role of informal health care providers in detecting highrisks diseases such as COVID-19 or other kinds of lived experiences. Secondly, the study explores the adherence of informal health care providers to new methods for the cure of low- and high-risk diseases and impact of such service on patient’s satisfaction. The study had followed a qualitative approach by using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Twelve interviews were conducted by selecting rural union councils of Tehsil Shorkot of Punjab, Pakistan. The snowball sampling techniques was adopted to select participants. After conducting interviews, thematic analysis was employed for the analysis of qualitative data. The study’s scope is encompassing the role of informal health care providers of rural areas only as they play an important role in filling the gap of limited or non-availability of formal health professionals.