BackgroundVoluntary HIV antibody Counselling and Testing (HCT) is a cornerstone of HIV prevention in South Africa because it has the potential to prevent HIV transmission. The government of South Africa has for a long time been investing heavily in fighting the spread of HIV and/or AIDS. However, men rarely utilise this service.AimThe aim of this study was to explore the factors contributing to the reluctance of men to seek HCT in the primary health facilities in Vhembe District.SettingThe study was conducted at Vhembe District health offices in Limpopo, South Africa.MethodsA qualitative research design, anchored on semi-structured interviews as a method of data collection, was used. Fifteen men working at Vhembe health offices were purposively sampled. Data were analysed using the TECHS’s 8 steps method. The approval from Polokwane Provincial offices was guaranteed with participants being protected and respected throughout the study.ResultsThe response rate per question was 100% with all 15 participants willing to answer all the raised questions, though with different views and opinions. The majority of the interviewees indicated that they were aware of HCT services. Stigma as a societal reaction to disease, governmental policies, and attitudinal factors made men refrain from seeking counselling and testing from public health facilities.ConclusionThere was a high level of HCT awareness among men in Vhembe District. However, attitudinal and political barriers, stigma, and cultural practices such as circumcision were cited as the reasons for the low level utilisation of HCT services.

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Background Studies in South Africa showed that cataract was the second leading cause of blindness and the leading single cause of severe visual impairment. People living in the rural and remote areas of the world are usually of lower socio-economic status and therefore lack the opportunity to utilize eye care services adequately which could result to lack of knowledge regarding cataract surgery. The primary aim of the current study was to increase a better understanding of eye health inequalities in Limpopo province with specific reference to cataract surgery and care. The study sought to answer a central question “What are the barriers related to the uptake of cataract surgery and care in Limpopo. Methods This study used qualitative and descriptive designs through exploring barriers related to the uptake of cataract surgery and care from professional nurses’ perspective. The target population comprised of 20 ophthalmic supportive staff. A non-probability, purposive sampling was applied to select three hospitals in which cataract surgeries are performed. All the 20 ophthalmic supportive staff purposively comprised the sample of the study. Data were collected through Focus Group Discussions. The Tesch’s principles as a guide for classifying data into themes and sub-themes applied. Ethical consideration and trustworthiness for data quality were explained. Results The study found that patient ignorance, low education and illiteracy, lack of awareness programmes, shortage of ophthalmologist and supportive ophthalmic health professionals, inadequate cataract facilities and resources lead to poor quality services in the hospitals were the major barriers in the uptake of cataract surgery and care. Conclusion People living in the rural and remote areas of the world are usually of lower socio-economic status and therefore lack the opportunity to utilize eye care services adequately. There is need to expand the awareness programmes and health education regarding prevention of the risks of blindness among the elderly in particular.

Background Despite government efforts to improve access to health care services through the re-engineered Primary Health Care and National Health insurance platform, access still remain a challenge particularly in rural areas. The aim of this study was to analyse secondary data on cataract patients who were attended to in selected hospitals in rural Limpopo of South Africa. Methodology A cross section survey was conducted on 411 patient records from five selected hospitals in Vhembe district. A pre tested structured checklist was used to guide retrieval of variables from patient records. The collected data was entered into excel spreadsheet, cleaned and imported into Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26 for analysis. Proportions of demographic characteristics were presented and these were cross tabulated with the outcome variable “success of operation” using Chi Squared tests. Results Findings point out that majority of patients who attended hospital for eye services were aged 65 years above and females (63%). There was no association between the tested demographic characteristics and the outcome variable. Most patients were diagnosed in the period 2015-2018 (60%). Over 90% of those that were operated had successful operations. Of the remaining 10% that had unsuccessful operations, 30% cited complications as being the reason why these operations were unsuccessful. Conclusions It is evident from the findings that cataract services offered in rural areas have low impact as they are not accessible to the patient. It is critical to have a worker retention strategy to retain experts.

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