Health providers’ experiences, perceptions and readiness to provide HIV services to men who have sex with men and female sex workers in Uganda – a qualitative study
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Date
2019
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC infectious diseases
Abstract
Access to HIV services among men who have sex with men (MSM) and female sex workers (FSWs)
remains suboptimal globally. While the reasons for this dismal performance have been documented, limited
evidence exists on the experiences, perceptions and readiness of health providers to provide HIV services to MSM
and FSWs.
Methods: This analysis uses data collected from 48 key informants (health providers in public and private health
facilities) as part of a larger study conducted in 12 districts of Uganda between October and December 2013. Data
were collected on health providers’ experiences and readiness to provide HIV services to MSM and FSWs and their
perceptions on the effect of existing legislation on HIV services provision to MSM and FSWs. Data were captured
verbatim, transcribed and analyzed following a thematic framework approach.
Results: All health providers reported that they had ever provided HIV services to FSWs and a majority of them
were comfortable serving them. However, no health provider had ever served MSM. When asked if they would be
willing to serve MSM, nearly three-quarters of the health providers indicated that they would be bound by the call
of duty to serve them. However, some health providers reported that they “would feel very uncomfortable” handling
MSM because they engage in “a culture imported into our country”. A majority of the health providers felt that they
did not have adequate skills to effectively serve MSM and called for specific training to improve their clinical skills.
There were mixed reactions as to whether existing criminal laws would affect MSM or FSWs access to HIV services
but there was agreement that access to HIV services, under the existing laws, would be more constrained for MSM
than FSWs since society “does not blame FSWs [as much as it does] with MSM”.
Description
Keywords
Perceptions, Experiences, Health providers, MSM, FSWs, Uganda
Citation
Matovu, J. K., Musinguzi, G., Kiguli, J., Nuwaha, F., Mujisha, G., Musinguzi, J., ... & Wanyenze, R. K. (2019). Health providers’ experiences, perceptions and readiness to provide HIV services to men who have sex with men and female sex workers in Uganda–a qualitative study. BMC infectious diseases, 19(1), 1-10.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-019-3713-0