Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC)

Between 2012 and 2017, Right to Care was a US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funding recipient and supported the National Department of Health (NDoH) in expanding safe Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) services.

Our current circumcision programme is made possible through a five-year grant under PEPFAR, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Right to Care is responsible for safe voluntary male circumcisions in seven districts across the provinces of the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, the North West and the Free State.

Circumcisions are performed at:

general practitioner (GP) sites

Department of Health (DoH) facilities

as part of traditional and customary male initiation

Circumcision has been shown to reduce HIV transmission rates by 60% in heterosexual intercourse. Right to Care aims to reach men between the ages of 15 and 34 for safe circumcisions.

Creating demand for circumcisions

We develop tailor-made and innovative strategies to encourage men to circumcise. We have experts in Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to help us reach men in different communities.

Making the right choice

Right to Care promotes circumcision as an important decision a man should make to protect himself and his partner from HIV. We also encourage men to test for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) so that those who test positive can be referred for treatment and care.

High quality services

In implementing this large-scale circumcision programme, Right to Care ensures efficiency in:

forecasting

procurement

quality assurance (QA)

distribution

the storage of surgical kits and commodities

collecting medical waste

Rigorous QA and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) helps ensure the provision of high quality services in alignment with the National Department of Health and World Health Organisation practices and guidelines.

Sustainable circumcision services

PEPFAR have stipulated that in the longer-term circumcision services should be transitioned to public health facilities. Right to Care is putting systems and standards in place to ensure the programme will continue to provide safe circumcisions to men.

Right to Care pioneers safe traditional and customary initiation

Traditional and customary male initiation is practised as a significant part of the rite of passage from boy-to-manhood.
The Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders coordinates all activities related to initiation in the Eastern Cape under the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA).

In the Eastern Cape, RTC work in close collaboration with:

the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders

the Eastern Cape Department of Health

the Department of Education

RTC has pioneered the provision of medically-assisted circumcisions by integrating safe, medically-assisted circumcision practices with traditional and customary circumcisions.
For the first time, the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders signed a Memorandum of Understanding with RTC as well as the Society for Family Health in November 2018.

This was an important milestone because it allowed Right to Care to:

roll out advocacy and behavioural change and communication campaigns

conduct pre-screening of prospective initiates

perform safe male circumcisions

conduct follow-up of circumcised initiates

create systems for recording and reporting adverse events

Right to Care is also now an official member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Initiation task team which handles all initiation and circumcision matters.

Treating health seriously, caring, making treatment available in South Africa and abroad.

Contact Us

Email : info@righttocare.org
Phone : +27 (0) 11 276-8850