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Table 2 Women's perspectives on barriers to ART and PMTCT: reported barriers which delayed or denied HIV prevention and treatment

From: Health system weaknesses constrain access to PMTCT and maternal HIV services in South Africa: a qualitative enquiry

Individual barriers

Reported in the following sites

No money for transport

Johannesburg hospital, Eastern Cape clinic

Fear of positive HIV test

All facilities

Denial of positive HIV result (i.e., received positive result but did not trust the result

Johannesburg hospital, Eastern Cape academic hospital

Refused testing

All facilities

Health personnel

 

Judgmental attitude

All facilities

Stigmatizing attitude (name calling, blame, shunning)

Johannesburg hospital, both E. Cape hospitals

No health personnel available to provide HIV testing

All facilities

No health personnel available to provide counselling (e.g., regarding treatment and infant feeding options)

All facilities

Clerk turns patient away at first booking

Johannesburg hospital

Health personnel did not provide ARV prophylaxis during labour/delivery

All hospitals (clinic does not perform deliveries)

Health system

 

HIV test kit not available

Eastern Cape clinic

Nevirapine stockout

Eastern Cape clinic