A virtual discussion to explore how to improve male involvement in the elimination of mother to child transmission (eMTCT) has begun in Zimbabwe this week and will run until 30 April according to Tawanda Chisango, spokesperson for the eMTCT Zimbabwe Resource Team.
Chisango said that by drawing on articles written by key informants and stakeholders in the field, the discussion will aim to explore:
• The definition of male involvement - what is meant by ‘male involvement’ in eMTCT? Is it merely the process of having male partners tested in antenatal care? Or is it something more?
• Challenges for male involvement- what challenges exist, including socio-cultural attitudes, knowledge and environmental barriers? What are the consequences of limited male involvement in eMTCT?
• Opportunities for scaling up male involvement- what specific approaches/strategies/interventions have been used to increase male involvement in eMTCT?
“We encourage you to share your thoughts, opinions and experiences. Invite your colleagues to join the discussion at http://knowledge-gateway.org/emtctzimbabwe,” Chisango said.
The National Strategic Plan for Eliminating New HIV infections in Children and Keeping Mothers and Families Alive (2011-15) highlights that one of the key gaps and challenges affecting the uptake of Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) services in Zimbabwe is inadequate male participation in the PMTCT and paediatric HIV programmes.
- A call by children in Zimbabwe for improvement of PMTCT. Photo credit:Wallace Mawire
