Abstract: Mother-to-child transmission of HIV significantly contributes to new infections globally. Universal access to comprehensive services for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV is vital to curbing this trend. This study assessed the availability and utilization of PMTCT services in Primary Health Care centres of Jos South local government area, Plateau State, North-Central Nigeria. A desk review of facility records was conducted in 2020. Data was collected on PMTCT services availability and utilization using observational and review of records checklist adapted from the World Health Organization’s PMTCT services checklist instrument. Data was analyzed using IBM-SPSS version 23 software. Thirty-six Primary Health Care centres in Jos South were surveyed, of which only 14 (38.9%) offered PMTCT services. Four thousand six hundred and sixty-one (85%) women accessing antenatal care in the 14 facilities offering PMTCT services underwent HIV testing and 45 (0.8%) tested positive. Twenty-seven (60%) of those who tested positive had optimal utilization of PMTCT services as they received all the basic components of the services. The availability of PMTCT services was low while the utilization among those reached was suboptimal. There is a need to scale up PMTCT services and make available a comprehensive package in all health facilities.
Keywords: Availability, Utilization, PMTCT, Primary Health Care Centre.
Title: Availability and Utilization of PMTCT Services in Primary Health Care Centres of Jos South, North-Central Nigeria
Author: Maria Pawa Dawet, Nathaniel Birdling Noel, Jonathan Chi Daboer
International Journal of Healthcare Sciences
ISSN 2348-5728 (Online)
Vol. 12, Issue 1, April 2024 - September 2024
Page No: 16-21
Research Publish Journals
Website: www.researchpublish.com
Published Date: 07-June-2024
