Routine HIV testing and counselling and access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission services: Experiences of HIV-positive women in Kawempe division, Kampala district, Uganda, March 2010
The Ministry of Health introduced routine testing and counselling (RTC) for expectant mothers seeking antenatal care (ANC) services in order to increase opportunities for early diagnosis of HIV and thus early access to treatment, care and support services, especially prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT).
Kawempe division, whose HIV prevalence rate is higher than the average rates for the country and the city, faces a stiff challenge in the management of HIV in women and their infants due to low uptake of testing and other PMTCT services, institutional deliveries inclusive.
This study assessed the impact of the RTC policy on access to PMTCT and other reproductive health services by HIV-positive women in Kawempe division. It documented experiences from HIV-positive women who have gone through RTC and the PMTCT programme.
