November 24, 2012
Men fear circumcision
By Pamela Mhlanga
THE male circumcision programme that was launched in 2009 has only seen 10% of the targeted 1,2 million men by 2015 being circumcised, a government official said yesterday.
The programme’s national coordinator in the Health and Child Welfare ministry, Sinokuthemba Xaba, was speaking during the opening of a voluntary medical male circumcision clinic in Bulawayo’s Lobengula suburb.
He said most males feared getting circumcised due to a number of factors.
“More and more men have heard about the benefits of male circumcision, but have various concerns that prevent them from getting circumcised,” Xaba said.
“Males have questions like; what if something goes wrong?
“Will the wound heal? Where will my foreskin go? These are some of the fears that we hear every day from men who are considering going for the procedure.”
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Xaba also said the ministry wanted to expand male circumcision services to all districts nationwide.
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Xaba said government was still a long way from reaching its target of having 1,2 million men circumcised by 2015.
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The government's target should be expresssed as a concrete reduction in new HIV cases.
ReplyDeleteForeskin feels REALLY good.
Most of the US men who have died of AIDS were circumcised at birth.