Introduction
Project activities for integrating counseling and testing for HIV
within family planning services in Kenya are being piloted in Nyeri and
Thika districts. Prior to implementation, focus group discussions (FGDs)
were conducted among clients seeking family planning (FP) services and health care providers to
assess the feasibility and acceptability of integrating voluntary counseling
and testing (VCT) into FP services
and in eliciting perspectives of clients and health providers regarding
integration of the proposed services.
Materials and methods
Two FGDs were held for clients in each district (one at a health center and one at a dispensary). For health providers, one
FGD was held in each district with participants drawn from
rural health facilities that had not been sampled for piloting of the
interventions.
Results and discussion
A majority of clients agreed that it was a good idea to receive
reproductive health counseling and HIV/AIDS/VCT information and services and
to discuss sexual behavior in one place. Overall, FP clients said that the
integration of VCT into FP services was feasible and acceptable. Similarly,
health providers expressed willingness to integrate counseling and testing
for HIV into FP services but hoped that the government will address the issue of
staff shortages. The providers also viewed the integration of counseling and
testing into FP
services as an opportunity to improve on their skills but were concerned
about poor remuneration, understaffing, lack of further training, poor
infrastructure, and erratic supply of commodities and poor maintenance of
equipment.
Conclusion and policy implication
Overall, both clients and providers supported the issue of integrating
counseling and testing for HIV within family planning services. The
situation regarding erratic supply of commodities and HIV test kits and the
issue of staff shortages, among other concerns, needs to be routinely
monitored.
