Circumcision of males in Rwanda has of recent gained momentum. Its voluntary and has major health advantages especially in reducing the risk of acquring HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
In an exclusive interview with Dr. Vincent Mutabazi (photo above), IGIHE posed various Questions aimed at seiving through the whole idea and process of circumcision.
Dr. Mutabazi is in charge of new circumcision system (PrePex)in Rwanda. Below are excerpts of the detailed original interview.
What is the major purpose of circumision?
Significantly reducing the lifetime risk of acquiring HIV among males via circumcision.
What is the level of awareness of the new circumcision method (PrePex)?
The device is mostly known in regions where a PrePex campaign took place and in which the device is used on a regular basis – Kigali, Nyamata and Gicumbi district.
So far approximately 2300 PrePex circumcision procedures have been performed in Rwanda.
Some people resist circumcision saying it is expensive yet painful. Whats the truth?
Those claims are true for surgical circumcision however, when circumcising is done with the PrePex device there is only minor discomfort and pain is significantly lower than with a surgical procedure (this fact was verified during a clinical study comparing PrePex circumcision with surgical circumcision).
As for the cost for now the procedure is free of charge.
Regardless all of the above, the health benefits of male circumcision outweigh all such objections
Ministry of health (RHCC) has a plan of making all men circumcised. What is the current level of progress on circumcision?
The Ministry is now working to implement the first phase of voluntary male circumcision scale up using PrePex device. The 1st phase will involve 10000 circumcisions in three hospitals in Kigali region.
In Rwanda, the following men have been circumcised so far in Rwanda,
40,000 – surgically circumcised
2300 – Circumcised using PrePex device
What are your plans of introducing this method in other health centers?
The procedure can be executed anywhere by certified health workers (Nurses) who took part and successfully completed official training course at Rwanda Military Hospital.
We have just completed a campaign at Byumba District Hospital and are preparing for a campaign under Army week in Cyangugu district in 3 hospitals.
The future plan is to have teams working out of health centers and not only hospitals.
Our main plan is to spread the device throughout the country over the upcoming months. The Ministry of Health is constantly working to achieve this aim.
The procedure has been adopted in Kigali, Nyamata, Gicumbi and in two weeks it will initiate at Cyangugu.
PrePex is still a Rwandan product. Will other countries adopt it?
For clarification, PrePex was developed by Circ MedTech. Rwanda is the first country to clinically study and adopt the device.
We also are the first country to receive WHO recommendation to begin scale up with this device following elaborate scientific validation of the safety, superiority over surgery and simplicity in the hands of nurses.
The PrePex Center of Excellence was established here in Rwanda and we will be training the region on the use of the device.
Rwanda was followed by Zimbabwe who is now completing the clinical evaluation of the device under WHO guidelines.We trained their teams here in Rwanda as well as locally in Zimbabwe.
We are also hosting delegations from the region and the world who are interested in learning more about this innovation.
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