Views of professional nurses regarding the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and AIDS programme in the clinics of the Polokwane municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa

Abstract

The introduction of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV and AIDS programme has created an additional workload for the already overworked staff in a weak health system. A qualitative research approach applying the descriptive and exploratory design was conducted in the 15 clinics of the Polokwane municipality. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the views of professional nurses who are in-charge of clinics regarding PMTCT of HIV and AIDS programme for pregnant women. Purposive sampling method was used to select one professional nurse in-charge per clinic. Face to face interviews using a semi-structured tool were conducted. A voice recorder was used to capture the interviews and field notes were written to document participants’ non-verbal reactions. The following categories emerged: Success story regarding an increase in the number of testees, need for more counsellors and inherent problems which are poor baby compliance, faulty coding system and poor service delivery. It is recommended that the National Department of Health and NGOs allocate more resources regarding handling of stigma and non-disclosure of HIV-positive status.