Lentswe, Klerksdorp - Health NGO Right to Care urges all men in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda district to go to their nearest clinic for a free medical circumcision.
“If you take advantage of Soka Fridays, or Circumcision Fridays, you can get circumcised on a Friday and be back at work on Monday morning,” explains Dr Khumbulani Moyo, Chief of Party of the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision programme at Right to Care.
Men now have a chance to take extra care to protect themselves and their partners from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, as the Right to Care NGO has partnered with health centres in each province across South Africa to encourage and make it easy for men to circumcise at no charge.
Circumcision can help prevent HIV by as much as 60% and it also reduces the transmission of HPV which causes cervical cancer in women.
Popular comedian, artist, author and motivational presenter, Simphiwe Shembe, a descendant of the prophet Isaiah Shembe, has begun openly discussing male circumcision - an often taboo subject in South Africa.
Shembe supports health non-profit Right to Care’s circumcision drive as a key component of South Africa’s HIV prevention programme.
The campaign is entitled ukuSoka (circumcision) with Simphiwe Shembe.
Shembe is promoting circumcision as a lifestyle choice.
He says, “We cannot turn a blind eye to HIV, and the other benefits of circumcision. Males over 15 now have the chance to take the bold step to circumcise by making use of the free and voluntary medical circumcision programme available in their local community.”
Moyo adds, “Right to Care has performed over 1.5 million safe circumcisions since 2012. Medical circumcision is done under local anaesthetic and takes only 30 minutes and there is very little pain involved. Your healthcare worker will tell you everything you need to know, including how to care for your wound.”
Many men worry about the effect a circumcision may have on their sex life, but when performed by trained medical professionals in recognised healthcare facilities, circumcision has no adverse effects on sexual function or pleasure. It is only during the short healing process that men should not have sex or masturbate.
Here’s where you can go for your circumcision in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda district that also operate on a Friday:
All clinics operate from 07:30 until 16:00: Potchefstroom Hospital and Tshepong Hospital.
To find out more about free medical circumcision or to make an appointment at any of these or other Right to Care’s circumcision clinics, call or send a ‘please call me’ to the Right to Care circumcision call centre on 082 808 6152.
You can also find Right to Care on Facebook.
