It’s 7:30 am and 30-year old Jason is among the day’s first patients at the Winnie Mandela Male Health Clinic in Tembisa. He has traveled from his home in nearby Kempton Park where nearly one in five adult males are HIV-positive. But Jason is HIV-free and plans to stay that way. Today, he’s here to undergo voluntary medical male circumcision – an intervention that can reduce his risk of getting HIV by up to 60 percent.
At 8 am he is registered for the procedure. By 8:30 am, he has checked in at each of the stations of the clinic – the first stand-alone facility in the country dedicated to providing this service to men who seek it. Along the way, he takes an HIV test, speaks with a counselor about critical post-surgical care, and learns about the risks and benefits of the procedure. By 9 am, the surgery is complete. “I’m 299% glad I did it, “ says Jason. “It’s the best decision I could’ve made.”