Illegal circumcision lands nurse in prison

KIREHE – A nurse at Kirehe Hospital, who is said to have illegally circumcised two men at his house, has been arrested and detained at Nyakarambi Police Station, in Kirehe District. According to sources, Claude Bahizi, 40, was arrested following reports that the two men he circumcised ended up with serious infection. The first such report, since the government launched the circumcision campaign. The hospital’s director, Dr. Saleh Niyonzima, yesterday confirmed the incidence and subsequent arrest of the nurse. “He performed an illegal operation in his house; it is illegal for a medic of this hospital or any other to circumcise a person at his private house. He will thus have to face the wrath of the law,” Dr. Niyonzima told The New Times. Niyonzima however, added that the victims were steadily recovering at the hospital. Meanwhile, the hospital dispelled rumours that the person who carried out the circumcision was not a qualified nurse.“The rumours that Bahizi is not qualified are wrong. He is a fully qualified nurse (A1)… He was a victim of greed that landed him in trouble,” said another doctor, Robert Kimpe. Many residents have embraced circumcision, after the government campaign has used it to as part of the strategies to combat AIDS. “We heard that circumcision can reduce the chances of one contracting HIV. But if the risks involved are high, I am afraid some people will be scared,” said Joseph Matabaro, a resident of Nyakarambi sector. On average, the hospital authorities say the number of people circumcising drastically increased since January 2009. “Circumcision is just a minor operation and no one should be scared about it. We have had hundreds of such operations successful, even those who were infected will recover soon,” the medics said. Ends