Providing oral rapid HIV testing to pregnant women in India

Testing pregnant women for HIV is an essential entry point into treatment, care and prevention of HIV. However, only 20% of the 27 million annual pregnancies in India are currently tested for HIV.

This is because many rural women who present at health facilities for delivery will not have received prior antenatal care, or may not have been tested for HIV as part of their antenatal care because of deficiencies in HIV testing and counselling services. These include a shortage of skilled and trained
healthcare providers, insufficient universal and high-quality laboratory services for HIV testing, and a lack of health services for rural and other marginalised populations.

To respond to these challenges, MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child, with funding support from the International HIV/Alliance, is introducing oral rapid, point-of-care HIV testing in rural India.