Geographical information system and access to HIV testing, treatment and prevention of mother-to-child transmission in conflict affected Northern Uganda

Cross-sectional data on availability and utilization, and geo-coordinates of health facilities providing VCT, PMTCT, and ART were collected in order to determine access. ArcView software produced maps showing locations of facilities and Internally Displaced Population(IDP) camps.There were 167 health facilities located inside and outside 132 IDP camps with VCT, PMTCT and ART services provided in 32 (19.2%), 15 (9%) and 10 (6%) facilities respectively. There was uneven availability and utilization of services and resources among districts, camps and health facilities. Inadequate staff and stock-out of essential commodities were found in lower health facility levels. Provision of VCT was 100% of the HSSP II target at health centres IV and hospitals but 28% at HC III. For PMTCT and ART, only 42.9% and 20% of the respective targets were reached at the health centres IV.Access to VCT, PMTCT and ART services was geographically limited due to inadequacy and heterogeneous dispersion of these services among districts and camps. GIS mapping can be effective in identifying service delivery gaps and presenting complex data into simplistic results hence can be recommended in need assessments in conflict settings.Delivery of HIV counseling and testing (VCT) and antiretroviral services for prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) and for long-term treatment (ART) to eligible individuals is feasible in emergency settings [1]. Northern Uganda, which has been affected by 20 years of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency, has experienced internal displacement of persons (IDP) into camps, disruption of health services and high HIV prevalence [2-4]. In Gulu, Kitgum and Pader (Acholi sub-region), which are the most conflict-affected districts in Northern Uganda, HIV/AIDS was the second most frequently reported cause of death in 2005 [5]. While VCT has been ongoing for the past decades, PMTCT and ART services have been scaled up more recently after the declaration of the W