The Eastern Cape department of health is gearing up for the winter circumcision season and has already identified training and resources to curb incidents.
Last week‚ 35 vehicles were distributed to eight districts at a cost of R2-million.
The handover took place at Hemingways Hotel with health MEC Dr Pumza Dyantyi addressing a group of 34 who had completed a three-day training session.
Health department safe circumcision senior manager Dr Luvuyo Bayeni said the focus of the training was on quality improvement.
The group was made up of two doctors and the rest were nurses.
“It looked at how to identify adverse events‚ reporting them and correcting them‚ as well was how to integrate male medical circumcision and traditional circumcision‚” he said.
Deputy director-general for clinical services in the health department Dr Patrick Maduna said deaths in the past had been mainly preventable and included issues such as dehydration‚ bleeding and wrong procedures during circumcision.
He said this season the department would zoom in on these matters‚ more especially the area of dehydration.
Dyantyi also took the opportunity to campaign for the role of women in traditional circumcision.
“This can’t just be a male-dominant tradition. We bear the children‚ we should also be given space‚” she said.
Dyantyi said she was not campaigning for women to go to the mountain where the actual circumcision happens.
“But it should be easy for a mother to ask the father how the child is doing and who the surgeon operating on the boy is without getting evasive answers.
“There are also single mothers with no husbands and they find themselves having to go around getting acting husbands during this time‚” she said to some laughter.
Dyantyi also stressed traditional male circumcision belonged to the department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs.
“Health should not be seen as interfering‚ worse when it is being led by a woman but when these boys get sick‚ it’s our responsibility‚ and they have to come to hospitals that are already overcrowded‚” she said‚ emphasising prevention was a better solution.
“Nelson Mandela only got one vehicle because of the terrain.
“They should be able to monitor effectively‚ unlike OR Tambo and areas such as Port St Johns‚” Dyantyi said.
“Most of the cars are going to OR Tambo because they always get the highest number of deaths.”
The vehicles have been given a kilometre limit and drivers will have to sign log books.
Tracker systems will be installed to allow live viewing by certain officials‚ such as Bayeni‚ to curbing potential abuse of the resource.
Health department gears up with training for circumcision season
The Eastern Cape department of health is gearing up for the winter circumcision season and has already identified training and resources to curb incidents.
Last week‚ 35 vehicles were distributed to eight districts at a cost of R2-million.
The handover took place at Hemingways Hotel with health MEC Dr Pumza Dyantyi addressing a group of 34 who had completed a three-day training session.
Health department safe circumcision senior manager Dr Luvuyo Bayeni said the focus of the training was on quality improvement.
The group was made up of two doctors and the rest were nurses.
“It looked at how to identify adverse events‚ reporting them and correcting them‚ as well was how to integrate male medical circumcision and traditional circumcision‚” he said.
Deputy director-general for clinical services in the health department Dr Patrick Maduna said deaths in the past had been mainly preventable and included issues such as dehydration‚ bleeding and wrong procedures during circumcision.
He said this season the department would zoom in on these matters‚ more especially the area of dehydration.
Dyantyi also took the opportunity to campaign for the role of women in traditional circumcision.
“This can’t just be a male-dominant tradition. We bear the children‚ we should also be given space‚” she said.
Dyantyi said she was not campaigning for women to go to the mountain where the actual circumcision happens.
“But it should be easy for a mother to ask the father how the child is doing and who the surgeon operating on the boy is without getting evasive answers.
“There are also single mothers with no husbands and they find themselves having to go around getting acting husbands during this time‚” she said to some laughter.
Dyantyi also stressed traditional male circumcision belonged to the department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs.
“Health should not be seen as interfering‚ worse when it is being led by a woman but when these boys get sick‚ it’s our responsibility‚ and they have to come to hospitals that are already overcrowded‚” she said‚ emphasising prevention was a better solution.
“Nelson Mandela only got one vehicle because of the terrain.
“They should be able to monitor effectively‚ unlike OR Tambo and areas such as Port St Johns‚” Dyantyi said.
“Most of the cars are going to OR Tambo because they always get the highest number of deaths.”
The vehicles have been given a kilometre limit and drivers will have to sign log books.
Tracker systems will be installed to allow live viewing by certain officials‚ such as Bayeni‚ to curbing potential abuse of the resource.
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