Ugandan women have called upon the government leadership to monitor medical male circumcision roll out in the country.
Women’s HIV Prevention Tracking (WHIPT) project coordinator, Marion Nakitunda said that Medical male circumcision for women has the potential to be a powerful tool for HIV prevention and added that findings show that there are many concerns that should be addressed to realize these benefits.
She said that Women lack of information and the opportunity to engage as decision makers and they feel strongly that the male circumcision programs should include monitoring of potential impacts such as increased stigma of women or coercive sex.
Health Rights Action Group member Allen Kuteesa said that since Women always have been the champions of HIV prevention and Male circumcision is no exception.
She however, said that government should take steps to address the gaps in its national male circumcision policy, which does not specify the need to address impact on women.
She said that women would like to see government leadership designing programs that have clear, accurate messages that are sensitive to gender issues and ongoing monitoring of gender-related impacts.
The coordinator of the US Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program in Uganda Michael Strong, while launching the Mobile male circumcision Clinic in Baali, kayunga district, said that male circumcision should be taken to scale as a powerful HIV prevention tool and he pointed out that, from male circumcision counselling and health talks, Women get better informed men and its a chance to help men improve their health seeking behavior.
The founder, Mama’s Club Dr. Lydia Mungherera said that male circumcision reduces men’s risk of infection by around 60 percent and added that Uganda desperately needs to implement strategies like this and take them to scale, so that we can turn the epidemic around.
Uganda has Mobile male circumcision Clinic in Baali, which is just north of Kayunga town in Kayunga district
By Isaac Senabulya
