PMTCT implementation in rural community health centres in Mpumalanga province, South Africa: final report

As part of a global plan, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) implemented a plan to reduce the prevalence of vertical transmission of HIV from 72,200 to approximately 8,300 newly infected children by the year 2015. Gaps in the implementation and uptake of the protocol for the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV occur at all stages of the ante-, peri- and postnatal process in South Africa, with some rural areas continuing to register unacceptably high levels of MTCT. Cultural, infrastructural, and socioeconomic influences are common barriers to PMTCT implementation. Although barriers have been reported, research on potential solutions to address these barriers is scarce, particularly as it relates to rural areas. This study aimed to identify challenges and solutions to the implementation and sustainability of the PMTCT protocol in rural South Africa.