Publications

This study focused on factors affecting health workers in the implementation of EMTCTservices at Bushenyi Health Centre IV. The objectives of the study were, to find out the healthworker-based factors affecting health workers in the implementation of EMTCT services, toestablish maternal-based factors affecting health workers in the implementation of EMTCTservices and to assess mothers, knowledge in relation to participating in EMTCT services atBushenyi health centre IV. The study was carried out at Bushenyi Health centre IV which islocated in Bushenyi municipality in Bushenyi district which basically serves people fromBushenyi district with a few others from neighbouring districts. It was descriptive and crosssectionalin which quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were used and thestudy included health workers offering EMTCT services to the mother and mothers receivingEMTCT services who were around during the period of the study. The study found that 81.25%,of the health workers, had ever attained an EMTCT reinforcement workshop and only3(18.75%) had not attended any workshop of that nature since they were transferred toBushenyi health centre IV. The study found out that a bigger percentage of mothers at 93.75%have knowledge on various methods in which HIV can spread from the mother to the babyand only 6.25 percentage said she didn’t know of such ways and regarding knowledge onimportance of VCT, study found out that all the 16 mothers who took part in the study knewthat its of health importance to attend a VCT, but they didn’t have a detailed informationabout how EMTCT could help a mother who is found HIV positive. In conclusion, from thestudy health workers and mothers who participated in the study acknowledge that EMTCT isan essential service to the health of the mother and the baby, but is being hindered by forementioned challenges which are controllable if timely intervention is put in place. Thefollowing are therefore recommendations made for a better EMTCT service delivery, thegovernment through the ministry of health should organize more workshops and short coursetraining on EMTCT to enable health workers to acquire knowledge of the service also thegovernment should sensitize people through public media to make use of EMTCT servicesfrom health facilities, the management of Bushenyi health centre IV should make outreachesfor EMTCT services to mothers who may be able to come to the health facility quite often,health workers should always do follow up on their EMTCT clients so as to reduce the numberof defaulters and lastly pregnant mothers should be encouraged to attend ANC services inwhich those who need EMTCT services can be identified.Keywords: EMTCT services, health workers, Pregnant mothers