City opens men sex clinic in Alex

20 September 2016

 

Men must take control of their sexual health.

 

This is the central message that emerged at the launch of a men’s clinic at 8th Avenue in Alexandra, near Sandton, on Friday September 16 – the first of two to be opened in the City of Johannesburg’s Region E this month.

 

The second will be launched in Wendywood on Friday September 23.

The move, a partnership between the City of Johannesburg and Anova Health4Men, is in response to the need to prioritise men’s sexual health in the city. Studies have indicated that men access health clinics to a lesser extent than their women counterparts because they feel doing so is a sign of weakness.

A study by Tidiver & Talbort in 2010 found that the lack of male healthcare providers was one of the reasons men frequented health facilities less than women. Health4Men facilities – which provide free and confidential screening and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia as well as the screening, monitoring and management of HIV – seek to bridge this gap. There are already three similar facilities in Johannesburg in Yeoville, Region F, and Chiawelo and Zola in Soweto, Region D.

Sakhile Makhoba, the Alexandra men clinic’s Operations Manager, said all the services men needed would be available.

“We used have to a similar facility here but very few men accessed it, leading to its closure,” said Makhoba.
“We want to assure men that when they come here there will be a professional male nurse to attend to them. All the services men need will be available. This is an effort by the government and non-governmental organisations to reach out to our communities.”

Anova Health Institute representative Sister Buyisile Mkhulise appealed to men to come for screenings and tests.

“One of our targets here is men who have sex with other men. We’re also trying to curb STIs. We’re also concerned about men who don’t come forward early when infected with HIV,” said Sister Mkhulise.

Several healthcare workers were awarded certificates after receiving training preparing them for the work. They will attend to health concerns such as prostate cancer and testicular and anal health. Heath4Men clinics operate on Tuesdays from 07.30am to 4pm.