Assessing the costs of a rural PMTCT pilot site in the eastern Cape

Mother-to-child transmission is by far the largest source of HIV infection in children below the age of 15. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programmes have been implemented nationally in South Africa since 2000. This report presents the results of research conducted at a pilot site in the Eastern Cape into the use of resources associated with the implementation of a PMTCT programme. It is part of a larger research project being conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), and funded by the Ford Foundation, that seeks to examine and compare the costs of providing nevirapine and AZT in both urban and rural contexts. It is hoped that this study will contribute to the national programme of monitoring and evaluating the costs and effectiveness of PMTCT interventions in South Africa.