Deputy Chairperson, hon Lees, government welcomes the statement of His Majesty King Zwelithini which calls for the broadening of medical male circumcision as one of the measures to combat HIV infection. We also welcome efforts by the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Zweli Mkhize, who - working with his provincial Cabinet - has mobilised traditional leaders in the province to rally behind His Majesty's call that young men should undergo medical male circumcision to complement the ABC message to prevent new infections. But, hon members will ask: Why this approach?
Strong evidence from clinical trials undertaken in South Africa - at Orange Farm in Gauteng province - Kenya and Uganda have demonstrated that males who are circumcised have close to 60% less chance of acquiring HIV during sexual intercourse. This means that medical male circumcision is partially protective, and should be promoted as part of a comprehensive package of preventive activities. Already, the World Health Organisation and the United Nations programme on HIV/Aids, UNAIDS, are promoting this intervention based on scientific evidence.
Accordingly, government has decided to include medical male circumcision in the basket of HIV-prevention interventions. Other measures include HIV counselling and testing - knowing one's status helps to influence behaviour change - sexual and reproductive health education and advocacy for consistent condom use as well as the management of sexually transmitted infections. All these initiatives complement our message to young people in general - abstaining, being faithful and condomising.
Finally, I am pleased to inform this House that the SA National Aids Council, Sanac, is finalising clinical protocols and auditing health facilities to assess their readiness to provide medical male circumcisions as demand is rising, which is already the case in KwaZulu-Natal. However, this demand is being managed, thanks to the support of nongovernmental organisations and the Department of Health's integrated service delivery model. Thank you.