Brigitte Weidlich
3 July 2009
HEALTH Minister Dr Richard Kamwi has categorically denied that HIV-positive women are "systematically coerced" to be sterilised at State hospitals.
In a ministerial statement in Parliament yesterday, the Minister said that his Ministry undertook an investigation at State hospitals in various regions, including Katima Mulilo.
At a recent conference on HIV-AIDS in Windhoek, allegations were made by several women, some from the Caprivi, that they had been sterilised against their will.
"Our findings did not indicate any specific trend with regard to bilateral tubal litigation (sterilisation) performed on HIV-positive women," Kamwi said.
Sterilisation is often done at the same time as a Caesarean section - the preferred method of delivering a baby when the mother is HIV positive because there is less risk of transmitting the virus to the baby.
"For a sterilisation, which is regarded as a separate procedure, the patient signs consent separately," Kamwi said.
He said the investigation clearly established that all women who had had a Caesarean section as well as a sterilisation had signed the relevant consent forms before the operation was done.
None of the medical councils like the Nursing Council of Namibia or the Medical Council had received any complaints of coerced sterilisation, as no complaints were lodged at the registrar of the Health Professional Councils, Kamwi told the House.
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