Providers’ views on family planning service delivery to HIV positive women in Mozambique

Sarah R. Hayford, Arizona State University

Southern Mozambique is a region with high HIV prevalence experiencing rapid rollout of HIV testing and treatment services, largely based in existing maternal and child health (MCH) clinics. In this paper, we use data from a survey of health facilities in one province to describe how MCH staff approach the provision of family planning services to HIV+ women. Most providers recommend that seropositive women stop having children altogether, regardless of parity. Clinic staff recognize that family and social demands prevent women from complying with these recommendations; although they interpret these barriers as social constraints, they also perceive women as resistant to their medical advice. Service providers have not yet established a system for providing advice that they see as effective. Although administrative integration of HIV and reproductive health services is advancing in Mozambique, the diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS is not yet socially “integrated” into the mindset of service providers.