Experiences of Mothers on the Utilization of Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV Services at Mtendere Clinic, Lusaka

Introduction: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is one of the leading causes of mortality among women of reproductive age and Mother to Child Transmission of Human immunodeficiency virus is still a challenge affecting many countries. Globally, an estimation of 180,000 children under 15 years acquire the Human immunodeficiency virus every day, and more than 90% of those infections are due to Mother to Child Transmission. The study sought to explore the experiences of mothers on the Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission-HIV services at Mtendere Clinic, Lusaka. Materials and Methods: Qualitative interpretive phenomenology study design was employed using in-depth interviews to collect data from a sample that was selected using purposive sampling technique. Thirteen participants were recruited, and these were HIV-positive mothers at least between the ages of 15 and 49 years and enrolled in the Elimination of Mother To Child Transmission-HIV program. The in-depth interviews were audiotape recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data was analyzed using thematic method. Findings: Three main themes that emerged are; living with HIV, support system and barriers to utilization of Elimination of Mother To Child Transmission-HIV services. Most of the participants expressed having acquired knowledge from the program, and received counselling and support from spouses, family as well as health personnel at Mtendere health facility which culminated into a positive experience and enhanced their uptake of the Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission-HIV services. However, barriers to service utilization were identified and these included fear of stigma, negative attitudes from health workers, long waiting times, lack of support and lack of transport to the health facility. Conclusion: Interventions such as community awareness campaigns on Elimination of Mother To Child Transmission-HIV, male involvement and implementing mother-to-mother peer support strategies in Elimination of Mother To Child Transmission-HIV service utilization should be prioritized so as to alleviate stigma and enhancing a positive experience for these mothers thus reducing on the Mother to Child HIV Transmission burden and mortality rates.