Gauteng MEC for Health and Social Development, Ntombi Mekgwe will tomorrow, Friday, 29 July 2011, officially open the medical male circumcision (MMC) service at the Zola Community Health Centre in Soweto.
The clinic began offering MMC in November last year as part of its comprehensive HIV prevention package. To date, more than 6,000 circumcisions have been performed there.
Medical male circumcision has proven to offer up to 60% protection from HIV. New evidence also shows that circumcision has a significant impact on curbing the rate of new infections.
During the recent school holiday, boys in their teens and young men have flocked to Zola to receive the protective benefits of the procedure. During its busiest times, the clinic performed nearly 200 circumcisions daily.
For many South Africans, circumcision goes beyond being merely a medical procedure and forms part of a right of passage into manhood. It is something the team at Zola is very aware of and their approach has been suitably sensitive and considered.
Zola’s MMC service is run by the Center for HIV and AIDS Prevention Studies (CHAPS) in partnership with the Anova Health Institute and is funded by United States of America United States Agency for International Development(USAID) and President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
The opening includes a tour of the circumcision centre.
Details are as follows:
Date: 29 July 2011
Venue: Zola Community Health Center, 780/783 Bendile Road, Zola 3, Soweto
Time: 10h00
Enquiries:
Simon Zwane
Cell: 082 551 9892
Ntlotleng Mabena
Cell: 082 707 6377
