HIV/AIDS:  We Prefer TBAs To Healthcare Providers -Pregnant Women

In the face of growing low coverage in pediatric HIV in Rivers State, some pregnant women have explained why they prefer Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs).
The Tide’s investigation during a recent monitoring visit to recognised TBAs in the State by a tripartite breakthrough partnership project comprising UNICEF, Society for Family Health (SFH), and Elizabeth Pediatrics AIDS Foundation (EPAF), revealed that most HIV positive pregnant women opt to patronise the TBAs rather than the orthodox health care providers due to issues relating to stigma and ill-treatment.

One of such women, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said while the orthodox healthcare providers treat them with contempt, the TBAs treat them with love and care.
According to her, she opted for the “Apostolic Church Assembly Home” in Bodo, Gokhana Local Government Area because their attendants at the TBA home are more accommodative.
“When I visited the hospital to register for Ante-Natal Care (ANC), I was diagnosed of HIV. Immediately the nurses saw that the result was positive, their attitude towards me became negative.
“They started treating me as if I was a prostitute (sex worker). So, after my second visit, when I knew I was positive, I was treated disrespectfully, I decided to patronize a TBA. That’s how I came to this home”, she stated.
At the “Mama Comfort Umuwaria Home”, in Oyigbo LGA, another HIV positive pregnant woman simply said she prefers the home to the hospital because it is cheaper, and she gets the best of attention from the attendants.
“When the owner of this place referred me to the hospital for enrollment for Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS, I did as instructed.
“But after my first visit, I stopped going because of the bills I was asked to pay, nonchalance and degrading treatment from healthcare providers.
“Here, I’m charged #5,000, out of which I’ve only paid #1,500, but they treat me  as a human being anytime I come, and allow me to pay the balance at my pace, but before I deliver”, she said.
At the “Confidence Maternity Favour Home” in ONELGA, Mrs. Faith Eke, who is not HIV positive, said she prefers the TBAs because they make her more comfortable in general terms.
This, she said, include cheaper charge, homeliness, attention, mutual relationship, with attendance an regular communication, even during irregular hours of the day outside the home, and as situation warrants.
Explaining the reason for the monitoring visits to TBAs to ascertain how they relate with pregnant women in terms of sensitization on HIV, Aisha Dadi of the SFH, stated that it is as a result of low viral load coverage for children in Rivers State.
Dadi, who also said Nigeria has a low PMTCT coverage, stated that Rivers State had about 18% low viral load coverage in 2021.
“So, we felt that we need to move focus in finding children who are HIV positive, and also pregnant women, who are HIV positive, so that we can prevent the unborn child from contracting HIV”, she said.
Explaining further, an expert in PMTCT with UNICEF, Dr. Abiola Davies, said the essence of monitoring visits to TBA homes in Rivers State is based on the revelation that a lot of pregnant women patronize TBAs more than health facilities, thus making it difficult to have accurate data on pediatric HIV and positive mothers.

“We know that one of the major challenges we have is that a lot of our women do not go to health facilities, and that they mainly patronize the TBAs.

“Why we need to reach out to the TBAs is that the women go there, and because they go there, they are not coming to the health facilities.

“So, we must go and find them. Every single woman is important, every single pregnancy is important for us to get to the point that no child in Nigeria is born with HIV”, she stated.

By: Sogbeba Dokubo