Assessing PMTCT service coverage in Southwest Nigeria: A step towards universal coverage

As at the end of 2009, Nigeria accounted for 30% of the global burden of mother to child transmission of HIV. Only 13% of pregnant women in Nigeria accessed HIV testing and counseling in the context of PMTCT (Prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV) as at the end of 2008 and about 12% of those positive accesses ARV prophylaxis for PMTCT. Reasons for this low coverage include the non-availability of the PMTCT services at all maternity or birthing centers in the country and the failure of pregnant women and nursing mother to enroll at formal conventional health facilities where their chances of accessing PMTCT services is very high.As Nigeria is a signatory to the global call to eliminate mother to child transmission of HIV, there is need for a current mapping of health facilities for PMTCT services, as this will provide us with gaps that need to be filled towards the universal coverage of PMTCT services in the country. Hence this study done to map the availability of PMTCT services at all the registered health facilities in the Ondo and Ekiti states, southwest Nigeria. Availability of HIV counseling and testing in ante-natal clinic was far below universal coverage at 35% in Ondo state and 60% in Ekiti state and averagely at 44% in both states combined. Comprehensive PMTCT service was however present in just 25% health facilities in Ondo state and 15% of facilities in Ekiti state .The average PMTCT coverage for both states was 20%; which was above the national coverage of 13%.. More public hospitals (52%-57%) provide HIV counseling and testing services in ante-natal clinic than private hospitals (38%-52%). Similarly, more public hospitals (21%-24%) offer comprehensive PMTCT service than private hospitals (1%-4%) in both states. There is an urgent need for a rapid scale up of HIV counseling and testing service and PMTCT services in the two southwestern states and the country as a whole to achieve universal coverage of PMTCT service in the country