%0 Journal Article
%T Listening to health workers: lessons from Eastern Uganda for strengthening the programme for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
%A Joseph Rujumba
%A James K Tumwine
%A Thorkild Tyllesk£¿r
%A Stella Neema
%A Harald K Heggenhougen
%J BMC Health Services Research
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1472-6963-12-3
%X A qualitative study was conducted at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) Mbale and at eight neighbouring health centres in eastern Uganda, between January and May 2010. Data were collected through 24 individual interviews with the health workers involved in the PMTCT programme and four key informants (2 district officials and 2 officials from TASO). Data were analyzed using the content thematic approach. Study themes and sub-themes were identified following multiple reading of interview transcripts. Relevant quotations have been used in the presentation of study findings.The key lessons for programme improvement were: ensuring constant availability of critical PMTCT supplies, such as HIV testing kits, antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) for mothers and their babies, regular in-service training of health workers to keep them abreast with the rapidly changing knowledge and guidelines for PMTCT, ensuring that lower level health centres provide maternity services and ARVs for women in the PMTCT programme and provision of adequate facilities for effective follow-up and support for mothers.The voices of health workers in this study revealed that it is imperative for government, civil society organizations and donors that the PMTCT programme addresses the challenges of shortage of critical PMTCT supplies, continuous health worker training and follow-up and support for mothers as urgent needs to strengthen the PMTCT programme.Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is the leading source of HIV infection in children under 15 years [1]. MTCT refers to HIV infection transmitted from an HIV-infected mother to her child during pregnancy, labour, delivery or breastfeeding [1]. In Uganda, MTCT accounts for 21% of the total HIV transmission[2,3]. The programme for prevention of mother-to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) in Uganda commenced in 2000 and has since been expanded over the years [4]. By June 2009, 77% of all health facilities in Uganda, from hospi
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/12/3