By Agwanda Powerman.

Nyanza provincial male circumcision task force targets to have 430,000 men been medically circumcised in Nyanza by the year 2014 under the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision.

The task force chairperson Dr. Jackson Kioko said already 151,500 men have undergone the ‘cut’ in the region in a period of 24 months in 170 sites since its inception in September 2008.

Kioko said the task force target to circumcise 100,000 men each year in the next of three years from now.

Amongst the strategies being employed to ensure the numbers are realised include decentralisation of circumcision services to the reach the target groups. He said they have initiated static, mobile and outreach approaches towards this end..

Kioko who is also the provincial Director of Public Health and Sanitation said the greater achievement in the program has been possible with the active participation of the community and other stakeholders.

He called for the fusion of positive aspects of the traditional circumcision and the voluntary medical male circumcision to ensure larger part of the circumcising community embraced exercise

He said there is need to enhance the Rapid Results Initiative [RRI] on the program adding that during the last RRI, 35,000 men were medically circumcised within 30 days.

However, Kioko said there is have been a few challenges in the implementation of the program like the issue of shortage of health workers to meet the increasing demand and targeting the relevant age group of 25 and above.

ENDS