Barriers to the Uptake of Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (pmtct) Services in Rural Blantyre and Balaka Districts, Malawi

Objectives: The aim of this study was to establish the barriers to the uptake of Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) services by women in rural Blantyre and Balaka districts in Malawi. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted with data collected through in–depth interviews and focus group discussions. A total of 52 participants were interviewed. Results: The main barriers to uptake of the PMTCT services were: stigma and discrimination against those with HIV-infection, opposition from male partners commonly leading to divorce, long waiting time at voluntary counseling and testing centres, fear of being bewitched, cost of infant feeds and lack of privacy and confidentiality when a woman joins a PMTCT programme. Conclusion: In order to promote utilization of PMTCT services by HIV-infected women, male involvement need to be enhanced. In addition to this, there is need to raise awareness of PMTCT services in the community, enhance provision of free infant supplementary feeds, prolong breastfeeding and improve services in health care facilities such as reduction of waiting time, improve confidentiality, provision of quality counselling services including couple counselling.