By Kepher Otieno

This may sound a little disconcerting but men choosing to face the knife, as many are doing increasingly, should consider undergoing the procedure under the care of a female nurse.

Local leaders, especially in Nyanza, where male circumcision is being promoted to cut down on HIV infections, are not taking it very kindly.

"This is an insult on our culture," said Luo Council of Elders chairman Riaga Ogalo, adding: "How do you allow a woman who is not your wife to see your private parts? Surely, even if it is science, this is wrong."

Since October last year, when the exercise was launched, 20,701 men have been circumcised.

Nyanza Provincial Director of Public Health and Sanitation Dr Jackson Kioko says, the Government is operating 124 sites that conducts medical male cut in both private and public hospitals.

To meet the high demand the Government has started offering both outreach services at health facilities and mobile circumcision services.

But another resident, Mr Fred Nyabunde saw nothing wrong with men being operated on by women.

"There is nothing wrong with a woman attending to me so long as it’s purely on professional ground."

Education Assistant Minister Prof Ayiecho Olweny who, together with Finance Assistant minister Dr Oburu Odinga had pledged to be circumcised to popularise the campaign could not be drawn to reveal whether they got cut or not.

"That is my secret, ask me another question," he said on Sunday.

But Ayiecho dismissed those opposed to the idea of female nurses conducting male circumcision.

"What is wrong with a trained woman handling a man. These are professionals and we should not mix this with politics," Ayiecho said, giving the example of male gynecologists who handle women in hospitals.

"A great number of gynecologists are men and they have been handling women all the years. So what is the problem with trained nurses conducting male circumcision?"

Nyanza Provincial Public Health and Sanitation Officer Dr Jackson Kioko said it would be upon the men going for cut to choose whom to handle them.

"The Government is not going to force anybody to be handled by a female nurse. Patients would have the freedom to choose whom to handle them," he explained.

A nurse who spoke to The Standard on anonymity, said many youth preferred being handled by female nurses "because we do it (the cut) with precision."

Several public and private hospitals in Nyanza have reported improved numbers of men seeking the male cut, which scientists say reduces risks of HIV/Aids infection by up to 60 percent.

This appears to be the motivation by the Ministry of Health in approving training of nurses to perform male circumcision.

The Director of Medical services Dr Francis Kimani has approved the training of nurses, both male and female, to enable them provide male circumcision in accordance with established World Health Organisation standards.

"We will train the nurses using the set standards of Ministry of Health and World Health Organization training curriculum for voluntary medical male circumcision," Kimani confirmed.

In the past, only clinical, medical officers and surgeons were authorised to provide male circumcision services.

Although the gender of the surgeons and medical officers, was never an issue, the training of female nurses for a task targeting men means some will have to contend with female nurses.

The new directive is contained in a circular signed by Kimani and copied to all Provincial Directors of Public Health and Sanitation, Provincial Directors of Medical Services, National Circumcision Taskforce, Nyanza Male Circumcision Taskforce and all HIV Programme implementers.

Kimani said the ministry had decided to include nurses in the implementation of the male circumcision drive because they were the ones manning health centres and dispensaries.

"The Government wants to ensure that all provinces reach and sustain male circumcision rates of over 80 per cent in order to accelerate the attainment of our target of reducing HIV transmission by 50 per cent over the next four years."

Epidemiological studies done over the past five years ago indicate male circumcision has protective benefits against HIV transmission.

Prof Kawango Agot of the Nyanza Reproductive Health Society hailed the ideas of male circumcision as "fabulous" but warned it was no panacea to spread of HIV and Aids.

Agot added that men turning up for the cut will be asked if they are comfortable being handled by female nurses or not.

"We intend to make it flexible in our facilities by asking for the consent of those who are willfully turning up to face the knife.

"We will not force them to be handled by female nurses if they dont want to," she told The Standard on telephone.

Agot added her organisation had embarked on a study to establish the opinion of men having nurses operate on them.