Clinic anxious to roll out male circumcision
ALEXANDRA - The Alexandra clinic is anticipating the department of health's support in introducing medical male circumcision as part of expanding its services to the community.
The Alexandra clinic is anticipating the Department of Health’s support in introducing medical male circumcision, which will expand its services to the community.
This, according to the clinic’s 2014 report, would fulfill the department’s recommendation of male circumcision as an effective method of reducing HIV infections alongside others provided by medical facilities.
The report also reveals that patients coming for HIV treatment at the outpatient department increased by 5.6 percent and that those coming for counselling and testing also increased by 101 percent. This was seen as a positive indicator of more people wanting to know their status and to be assisted through counselling, and it contributes to the 2.4 million people nationally who are on treatment against the more than five million who are infected.
The report further reveals that 15 percent of the 3 000 pregnant women who attended the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission programme tested positive and that 21 percent of the overall total of 11 000 in the programme in the whole clinic also tested positive. The increase has been attributed to late comers making it hard for the clinic to achieve its target of zero new infections. While this may be a damper, the reports state that the clinic, through its comprehensive care, management and treatment of HIV, was progressing well towards meeting the millennium development goal of combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. To add to this, it also reveals a positive trend of 33 percent reduction in other sexually transmitted diseases while lamenting the increase in cases of diabetes, epilepsy, hypertension and asthma.
The report raises concerns in the increase of cases of incomplete abortions and para-suicide to which the clinic has sought the assistance of community leaders to raise community awareness on the dangers of these practices, including drug use which contributes to mental health and suicidal tendencies.
The clinic is the only public health facility in Region E that provides 24 services to cater for emergencies and maternity cases. In this respect, it is has prioritised upgrading its security system to ensure the safety of patients and staff.
Details: Alex Clinic; 011 440 1231.
