ABSTRACT
This study investigates the experiences of doctors who perform elective surgical procedures in an area of South Africa with a high incidence of HIV and AIDS. A qualitative study approach was adopted. Interviews were individually conducted with 15 doctors. The transcribed interviews were read four times; each with a different data-collection purpose; and follow-up interviews were carried out when it was necessary to complete the data set. Surgical doctors from two semi-urban hospitals and one rural hospital in northern KwaZulu-Natal province took part in the study. The analysis of the interviews rendered four areas of concern in the experiences of doctors who perform surgery on HIV/AIDS patients. These were: personal factors; patient factors; factors relating to the structure of the health system; and factors concerning protocols for the treatment of patients with HIV or AIDS. Although the doctors were altruistic in their approaches to operating on HIV/AIDS patients; they commonly mentioned the increased levels of stress they experience as a result of a multiplicity of issues surrounding the treatment and care of an HIV/AIDS patient specifically. The public health system has not made special arrangements to deal with the increased patient loads in hospitals as a result of the HIV epidemic; and this will have to be addressed as the number of HIV/AIDS patients increases