Malawi men persuaded to cut foreskins for well health being

John Hopkins, through the United States Government which promotes voluntary medical circumcision has asked health experts to promote awareness to encourage men to participate in male circumcision.

Speaking at Bwaila Hospital on Monday during the handover ceremony of the mobile clinic van, Jhpiego country director, Hannah Gibson, said health experts have a crucial role to play in ensuring that men are encouraged to go for voluntary male medical circumcision (VMMC).

“Men should be encouraged to go for circumcision process, we are creating an enabling environment that would encourage more men to go for circumcision as it is a healthier way in promoting hygiene,” said Gibson.

She said circumcision gives fewer chances for contracting the virus that causes HIV and AIDS, lessen cancer and sexually transmitted diseases among others.

“We want to make sure that we are really reaching men across Lilongwe District considering that there is a huge need in the area and we want to get to people at the grass root level,” stressed Gibson.

Gibson added that the purpose of the van was to scale up the services across the district but also to get those working in the remotest areas.

Speaking earlier after receiving the mobile clinic van, Director of Health Social Services for Lilongwe District, Dr Alinafe Mbewe, said Jhpiego was doing a good job on issues of male circumcision.

She said the introduction of the van was going to scale up the efforts to reach out to more people for circumcision services in Lilongwe District.

“People are coming in large numbers but with the coming in of the mobile clinic van, more men, especially those that are unable to access the nearest health facilities in rural areas will be encouraged,” said Mbewe.

Mbewe thanked Jhpiego for partnering with the Ministry of Health, particularly Lilongwe District, in transforming men’s lives through the VMMC project. He promised to continue sensitising the masses on the benefits of male circumcision.

VMMC project aims at reducing HIV incidences by increasing male medical circumcision preferences in rural and urban areas in Lilongwe.

The project intends to provide 100,288 VMMC quality services to young and older men from 10 years and above in the next three years.

The project has already provided voluntary male medical circumcision services to 59, 093 males and it has procured a state-of-the-art VMMC mobile clinic van to provide male circumcision services in areas which have no medical facilities.

With financial support from the United States Government arm, CDC, the project is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Health since April, 2016.

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