How to contain HIV/AIDS transmission in Botswana: male involvement in ante-natal services

P. Sadasivan Nair, University of Botswana
Dan Rakgoasi

Botswana has the highest ( 37.4 percent) HIV/AIDS prevalence in the world today. Though the Government has launched a wide ranging campaign to contain the pandemic eversince 1990, the results are not encouraging. The utilisation of services, from Voluntary testing through Anti-Retroviral Treatmet is poor especially among menfolk. For pregnant women, ante-natal clinics serve as a pivotal point to utilise the control regime. However, since men/partners do not accompany women to these clinics generally, a great opportunity is being lost to recruit men for the services. Why do men not accompany their wives/partners in these clinical visits ? What are the cultural, logistic and personal reasons for this ? Are they manipulable ? To address these issues, We have just completed a study in four districts across the contry, employing qualitative techniques. The results are encouraging and have policy implications for the whole of Sub-saharan Africa.