Meissner Ortrun, Buso David L
Departments of Pharmacology and Community Medicine, Walter Sisulu University, Mthata, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
S Afr Med J. 2007 May;97(5):371-3.
Traditional male circumcision is still widely practised in the Xhosa population throughout South Africa. It is a rite of passage from boyhood to manhood. Unfortunately, botched circumcisions are a public health hazard and lead to tragic mutilations and deaths.
The present study was undertaken to assess the extent of circumcision-related complications and fatalities in the Eastern Cape. Health care data were provided by the Eastern Cape Department of Health. Hospital admissions, amputations and deaths per circumcision season were recorded as well as causes of death and the number of legal and illegal initiation schools, respectively. The aim was to establish if the Application of Health Standards in Traditional Circumcision Act of 2001 has been successful in reducing the health risks of the ritual.
The findings show that the incidence of circumcision related complications and fatalities has remained virtually unchanged in the observation period 2001 - 2006. Unqualified surgeons, negligent nurses, irresponsible parents and youths medically unfit for the hardships of initiation continue to contribute to tragic outcomes. One of the main problems is the perception that government interference in the ritual is undesirable, and the fact that a stigma is attached to non-completion of the procedure.
Progress is only possible if all the relevant stakeholders--traditional surgeons, traditional nurses, traditional leaders, traditional healers, representatives of the Department of Health, medical officers, police, parents, initiates and the communities concerned--can be made aware of the problem and rendered willing to work together in preserving a cultural tradition in the spirit of the Constitution, that is, without violating fundamental human rights.
在南非各地的科萨族人群中，传统男性割礼仍广泛施行。这是从少年迈向成年的一种仪式。不幸的是，割礼手术失败构成公共卫生危害，会导致悲剧性的伤残和死亡。
本研究旨在评估东开普省与割礼相关的并发症和死亡情况。医疗保健数据由东开普省卫生部提供。记录每个割礼季节的医院入院人数、截肢情况和死亡人数，以及死亡原因和合法与非法入会学校的数量。目的是确定2001年《传统割礼健康标准应用法》是否成功降低了该仪式的健康风险。
研究结果表明，在2001年至2006年的观察期内，与割礼相关的并发症和死亡发生率几乎没有变化。不合格的外科医生、疏忽的护士、不负责任的父母以及身体不适宜承受入会艰辛的年轻人，仍在导致悲剧性后果。主要问题之一是认为政府对该仪式的干预不可取，以及未完成该程序会带来污名。
只有让所有相关利益攸关方——传统外科医生、传统护士、传统领袖、传统治疗师、卫生部代表、医务人员、警察、父母、入会者及相关社区——都意识到问题，并愿意本着宪法精神共同努力维护文化传统，即不侵犯基本人权，才有可能取得进展。
