Facilitators and Barriers to Linkage to HIV Care among Female Sex Workers Receiving HIV Testing Services at a Community-Based Organization in Periurban Uganda: A Qualitative Study
Table 3
Barriers to linkage to HIV care.
Theme
Subtheme
Key emerging issues
Health systems factors
Negative attitude of health workers Rigid treatment policies
(i) Discrimination from health workers at the government health facilities (ii) Requirement of a treatment supporter (iii) Long procedures for enrolment
Social network factors
Stigma
(i) Fear to be seen at the clinic
Myths and fears about HIV and ARVs
(i) ARVs kill fast and need a lot of care (ii) ARVs weaken and disrupt work (iii) Fear of swallowing drugs for life (iv) Loss of hope due to fear of death after testing
Lack of information about HIV and denial of HIV results
(i) Do not know what HIV is (ii) Difficulty in identifying an HIV clinic due to lack of information (iii) Do not believe the HIV test results (iv) Use of herbs and self-medication
Work-related factors
(i) Busy work schedule/lack of time (ii) Travelling in different places in search for clients (iii) Difficulty in tracing the street based FSWs
Financial constraints
(i) Lack of money for food (ii) Transport costs to the health facility