A systematic review of qualitative studies on barriers to healthcare for people with sexually transmitted infections in Sub Saharan Africa

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are important public health issues in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) affecting vulnerable population groups including female sex workers, youths and transgender persons. This paper presents an overview of how various socio-cultural, economic, and systemic barriers allow limited access to healthcare services leading to poor health and increased disease burden. This systematic review aims to explore and address the barriers to accessing effective healthcare for STIs in SSA, identifying key factors that hinder healthcare access and providing evidence-based recommendations for improvement. A systematic review method was used in this study following the Cochrane Handbook and other guidelines on reporting of systematic review. The review involved cross-sectional qualitative primary research studies in English language, conducted between 2014 and 2024, in Sub-Saharan Africa. The electronic sources used for the search include Google Scholar, CINAHL, and PubMed; the quality of the selected studies was assessed using the CASP check-list. Sixteen articles were chosen for this study to be analyzed in relation to the formulated themes. The major challenges noted were cultural, economic and healthcare system factors that hinders an individual to access effective health care for STIs in SSA. Pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections such as HIV were largely related to stigma and shame which entailed that females, female sex workers, and young people shy off from seeking the necessary services. These challenges were worsened by the economic factors including transport hitches and lack of resources while structural factors like rigid health care polices and long waitlists also impounded enrollment and compliance to treatment. The research noted the factors that hinder the access and use of STI health care services in Sub-Saharan Africa and referred to certain approaches that need to be taken to eliminate stigma, increase health care awareness, and ensure availability of enhanced services. It is recommended to respond in the clients’ own language, prejudice in countenance, broadening the population to reach and making sure all the recurrences are available to sustain a welcoming healthcare setting.