Parents in Kanyum county Kumi District have protested conditions in which a pupil was circumcised without the consent of the parents.
This comes after two pupils from Kanyum primary school who were among the 40 pupils were circumcised on February 27 under a safe male circumcision program at Atutur hospital developed complications.
Our reporter learnt that Kumi District Local Government entered a memorandum of understanding with the AIDS Support Organization (TASO) to implemenet a program on HIV /Aids prevention, family planning and safe male circumcision.
However Atutur Hospital was chosen among the different hospitals to handle the safe male circumcision of children drawn from various schools.
However this angered parents since they weren’t consulted before circumcising their children.
One of the angry parents names withheld told our reporter that is primary Three child had left home to school safe and in return with a big wound on his private parts.
He further added that the wound where the boy was cut failed to heal following difficulties in passing out urine too.
“On Tuesday when I went to school to explain what had happened to my child I was given Shs 10,000 to go and treat my child in Atutur hospital,” he said.
In addition when he reached the hospital he was accused of not attending to the child to ensure that he heals fast.
“But I asked them if they come across any consent letter from me to allow them to mess up my child ;they didn’t reply me,” he said.
Another parent who had the some issue last year also reported to our media. “ These people have denied us rights to our children,anything is done on our children under the pretext of medication , supposing my child died in the theater ?” he wondered.
However when our media contacted the cluster manager of TASO in Kumi Dr Charles Obote , he said they facilitate the circumcision procedure and aren’t involved in choosing those who undergo the process.
“Ours ends on facilitating;hiring cars to take the pupils to Atutur ;that’s all,”he said.
However Dr Obote clarified that the particular child who developed challenges after the medical procedure was on Tuesday medically reviewed in the presence of his parent and is out of danger.
However the acting District health officer Dr Moses Oonyu enlightened our media that they have a memorandum of understanding with the ministry of health and that circumcision is voluntary with the consent of parents.
Mr Akol Sam the district vice person also added that the parental consent shouldn’t be taken lightly in this exercise.