PSI to release evidence supporting quality scale-up of male circumcision

Population Services InternationalJul 20 2010

PSI responds to comments by Bill Gates and former President Bill Clinton on the life-saving intervention

Following the remarks on male circumcision made today by former President Bill Clinton and philanthropist Bill Gates, PSI will release the results of a groundbreaking study on a new model of efficiency that will allow for quality and cost-effective scale-up of male circumcision.

"Our first task is to scale up the prevention efforts that are cheap, effective and easy to apply.  Some of these – especially male circumcision and preventing mother-to-child transmission – are so cheap, and so effective, that in endemic countries it is more expensive not to pursue them," said Gates, immediately after showing a video that showcased PSI's male circumcision clinic Litsemba Letfu in Swaziland. "Countries need to make this a policy for funding and prevention," he added.

PSI is at the forefront in providing male circumcision services across sub-Saharan Africa. In Swaziland alone PSI has already circumcised more than 10,000 men and has developed a proven model of demand creation. This has helped Swaziland achieve one of the highest rates of male circumcision in the region.

The results being released by PSI tomorrow at 13:00 are from a new study out of Zimbabwe where researchers customized and implemented the MOVE model -- Models of Optimizing Volume and Efficiencies – to achieve high outputs of male circumcisions and reduce inefficiencies by optimizing the use of staff time and assigning specialized tasks. The study is expected to provide solid evidence supporting quality scale-up of male circumcision.

PSI will also host a press conference on male circumcision tomorrow at 14:00 at the International AIDS Conference (Press Conference Room 2). Panelists include the United States Global AIDS Coordinator, Eric Goosby, the Director of the WHO Africa Regional Office, Cluster on AIDS, TB and Malaria, Dr. Frances Cowan from the University College of London, and Dr. Krishna Jafa, PSI Director of HIV, TB and Reproductive Health.