Background Nearly 91% of all pregnant women living with HIV worldwide live in 25 countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Even although the DRC implemented the PMTCT programme in 2001, the prevalence of HIV in pregnant women was 4.3% in 2009 and the prevalence of HIV in newborns was 23.3% in 2010. To date, no study has been done in the DRC, specifically Kinshasa, to explore the PMTCT national protocol.

Purpose The study aimed at evaluating compliance with the PMTCT national protocol in the selected PMTCT sites of Kinshasa

Methodology A quantitative approach was employed in this study with a total of 76 health care providers, specifically nurses, and 179 records of HIV+ women in 18 PMTCT sites selected in Kinshasa. A health care provider self-reporting questionnaire and review of the records of HIV+ women were used for compliance assessment. Data collected was analysed using the SSPS package, Version 19.0 and MS Excel 2007.

Results This study found that nurses and HIV+ women were non-compliant (less than 80%) with the PMTCT national protocol. The score of compliance/non-compliance decreased through the continuum of PMTCT care with a peak in labour and delivery for HIV+ women. Some factors were associated with nurses and HIV+ women’s compliance or non-compliance with PMTCT national protocol.

Conclusion The non-compliancy of nurses and HIV+ women found in this study goes beyond the improvement of compliance with PMTCT national protocol and necessitates full and sustainable integration of PMTCT in maternal, newborn and child health services.