Availability and readiness to provide sexually transmitted infections and HIV testing and counselling services in Nepal: evidence from comprehensive health facility survey

Abstract

Objective: We assessed the availability and readiness of health facilities to provide sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV testing and counselling (HTC) services in Nepal.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study.

Setting: We used data from the most recent nationally representative Nepal Health Facility Survey (NHFS) 2015. A total of 963 health facilities were surveyed with 97% response rate.

Primary and secondary outcome measures: The primary outcome of this study was to assess the availability and readiness of health facilities to provide STI and HTC services using the WHO Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) manual.

Results: Nearly three-fourths (73.8%) and less than one-tenth (5.9%) of health facilities reported providing STI and HTC services, respectively. The mean readiness score of STI and HTC services was 26.2% and 68.9%, respectively. The readiness scores varied significantly according to the managing authority (private vs public) for both STI and HTC services. Interestingly, health facilities with external supervision had better service readiness scores for STI services that were almost four points higher than compared with those facilities with no external supervision. Regarding HTC services, service readiness was lower at private hospitals (32.9 points lower) compared to government hospitals. Unlike STI services, the readiness of facilities to provide HTC services was higher (4.8 point higher) at facilities which performed quality assurance.

Conclusion: The facility readiness for HTC service is higher than that for STI services. There are persistent gaps in staff, guidelines and medicine and commodities across both services. Government of Nepal should focus on ensuring constant supervision and quality assurance, as these were among the determining factors for facility readiness.

Keywords: HIV & AIDS; health policy; public health; quality in health care.