MSF PMTCT Toolkit

MSF PMTCT Implementation Toolkit (2021)

Despite several efforts over the years to combat HIV worldwide, the disease burden of HIV (especially in terms of prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) during pregnancy and breastfeeding) remains a major challenge for many countries, particularly West and Central Africa, and countries with a lower prevalence of HIV.

The success of the PMTCT program is dependent on several programmatic factors: not only availability of tests and antiretrovirals but the integration of services within the ANC, maternity and post-natal care, through a patient-centered approach.  This approach encourages women and their families to make informed decisions about their health and that of their infant. The opportunity for their partner to be involved and be supported in the process creates greater community acceptance of HIV which decreases stigmatisation.

What is the toolkit?
MSF has designed a PMTCT implementation toolkit that provides you with:

• Tools and technical knowledge on how to carry out an assessment, make an order for medicine, or estimate the human resources for a project
• Tips on how to design, organise and implement integrated PMTCT services in a maternal and child health facility in terms of HR, orders and supplies of medical and non-medical resources
• Flow charts with testing algorithms for ANC, delivery, and PNC, and how to manage patient needs based on their HIV status
• Strategies and models of care to improve retention in care of mothers and their babies in the programme
• Strategies and models of care contextualizing PMTCT to specific situations such as complex humanitarian settings, high ART coverage or low ART coverage, contexts working with sex workers or contexts with adolescents
• Many more other practical tools to help you implement the program

The toolkit is designed in user-friendly language, with easy steps that can be understood and followed by anyone in all projects (MSF only or MSF/MoH projects). It should be used in combination with existing MSF and Ministry of Health HIV clinical guidelines by all staff (both MSF and MoH). This is a tool to aid the programmatic implementation of PMTCT services for mothers, their families and community. It is a means of eliminating HIV transmission to children during pregnancy, delivery, and breastfeeding.

How to access the toolkit?

Click here to download the full toolkit

• Please note that it is important to download the entire folder in order to access the toolkit and annexes:
• Click on the folder (circle with tick to the left of the folder), then click on the three dots to download. Once the Zip folder has downloaded, open it, and extract the files to save them in your desired location. Now, when you open the toolkit on Adobe Reader, any annex selected will be clickable, and the corresponding file will open.
• The toolkit is available in both English and French at the above link.

For detailed information about the toolkit and how to access it, watch the video below: