17 Jul 2013

Ngamiland District Health Management Team (DHMT) and the Baherero Community have agreed to work together in the safe male circumcision campaign to ensure it produces the expected results.

Dr Christopher Chembe, who is the head of DHMT, welcomed the idea to work with the community during a recent cultural event recently.

The community and DHMT agreed that the traditional circumcision specialist and circumcision specialists from the health practitioners should work jointly for the success of the operation.

Dr Chembe, who hailed this as a move in the right direction, noted that the Baherero community had been practicing circumcision long back and it was successful.

He said government had taken the initiative seriously as it had been proved to be effective and that it reduced the risk of contracting HIV from an infected female partner and also lowered the risk of other STDs, penile cancer, and infant urinary tract infection.

He said the deal would give the two parties an opportunity to share ideas, experiences and see how best they could do it for the benefit of the community.

“Your invitation to attend the ceremony is an indication that indeed you are ready to work with us and we have realised that there are things we can learn from you as much as you can learn from us. I am convinced that together we shall do things properly”, he added.

Dr Chembe said in the district, the circumcision risk was low and believed that eligible people would fully participate to ensure they reached the target.

For his part, Kgosi Tjinaani Maherero from Namibia urged the two parties to come on benchmarking mission in Namibia noting that the traditional specialists and the professional health specialists from the government were step ahead in their collaboration towards the SMC.

He said statistics had shown that 70 per cent of men had participated in the exercise that had been successful. “In our country, professional doctors support traditional specialists as they sensitise them about issues of safety and guidance and also provide them with necessary equipment,” he added.

Kgosi Maherero also observed that HIV/AIDS was a concern in Africa and it needed collaborative efforts to fight it. He said youth who were mostly affected.

He emphasised behvaiour change as the solution to the spread of the epidemic. Kgosi Manuel Nguvauva of Ovanderu noted that Baherero were more into preserving their rich culture. He said they had initiation school in the old days hence they were more advanced in skills and knowledge regarding SMC.

He praised the government for cementing the deal to work with their traditional specialists. Kgosi Nguvauva said government specialists could learn a lot from them. ENDS