Special community-based HIV testing service delivery models static facilities, outreaches, and peer to peer mechanism were designed in under the Most At Risk Populations Frame work and implemented to increase access and utilization of HIV care services for key populations like female sex workers. However, to date there is no study that has been done to access the preference and uptake of different community-based HIV testing service delivery models used to reach FSW. We assessed preference and uptake of the current community-based HIV testing services delivery models that are used to reach FSW and identified challenges faced during the implementation of the models.
We conducted a cross-sectional study design using quantitative interview with the health workers in facilities providing services to female sex workers and interviews with FSWs and qualitative interviews with Ministry of Health staff, health workers, district health team members, program staff at different levels involved in delivery of HIV care services, FSWs and political leaders to assess for the enabling environment created to deliver the different community-based HIV testing services to FSWs along the Malaba-Kampala highway.
Malaba โ Kampala high way is one of the major high ways with many different hot spots where the actual buying and selling of sex takes place. We assessed the preference and uptake of different community based HIV testing services delivery model among FSWs based on two indicators, i. Challenges experienced included; lack of trust in the results given during outreaches, failure to offer other testing services including hepatitis B and syphilis during outreaches, inconsistent supply of testing kits, condoms, STI drugs, and unfriendly health services due to the infrastructure and non-trained health workers delivering KP HIV testing services.
Community-based HIV testing service delivery models are challenged with inconsistent supply of HIV testing commodities and unfriendly services.. Globally, the number of new infections has declined from 2. The number of people receiving HIV treatment has also drastically increased over the recent years, particularly in resource-limited countries. However, the current dash board does not take care of the different categories of key populations KP including female sex workers FSW but they should be far below the current global target of HIV elimination because of poor health seeking behavior due to their being highly mobile and unconducive legal environment in Uganda.
By end of , 1. The adult HIV prevalence was 6. Women were more disproportionately affected with 7. The high HIV risk among sex workers arises from high rates of unprotected sex, alcohol, drug use, and non-use of condoms. This is coupled with the discriminatory laws to sex work and the limited capacity to bargain for the right to social protections among others [ 6 ]. Key populations continue to lag behind the general population in achieving 90โ HIV outcomes. A FSW is any adult who engages in the act of exchanging money for sexual services with a client.
