Reproductive Health and HIV Services

Merging two souls together might seem like mixing two drops of water but when it comes to merging two different health care sectors a lot of obstacles stand in course. The integration of the reproductive health and HIV services bring forth merger for the betterment of society in general as both have a common seeking ground when it comes to health care concerns and nuances thus leading to greater health care efficiency in terms of time, money and quality.

 When a woman is aware regarding her reproductive rights and more importantly educated regarding reproductive problems of early pregnancy, repeated abortions and ways to prevent unwanted pregnancies and avoid sexually transmitted diseases thus making an individual more empowered and in control which is essential for taking a step towards protecting themselves from infection and in turn reducing the global healthcare load. This in tandem with HIV services reduces the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission and improves well being among HIV-positive women by maintain regular contact with the healthcare system for guidance and medical attention. However ,what is most essential is to reduce the stigma associated with HIV by discouraging the taboo surrounding it by constantly making individuals aware about HIV which in turn may lead to better attendance for HIV testing and counseling.

Barriers to Integration

 HIV and reproductive health service integration is an essential and comprehensive requirement for countries with high prevalence of HIV such as Malawai, which has high fertility rate, low contraceptive usage and high prevalence of HIV thus essential to have individuals dually trained to provide contraceptive service as well as HIV counseling for treatment and care. There are many barriers to successful integration which include: long waiting time, user fees, low staff turnover and most importantly lack of privacy for counseling. It has been seen that there is greater patient acceptance to integrated clinics.

Training Provider:

James Lind Institute provides online training in ‘Sexual and Reproductive Health’ and thus creates an opportunity for clinicians, nurses, graduates, healthcare volunteers and others to impart sexual and reproductive health knowledge to various strata of the society for the upliftment of standards and thereby facilitating Universal Health Coverage and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
At JLI there are various programs such ‘Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Sexual and Reproductive Health Management’ to propel your career forward.