Gambian consultant gynecologist Dr. Abdoulie Keita last Thursday shared his expert opinion about Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) before the National Assembly Joint Committee of Health and Gender during a consultative meeting on the Women's (Amendment) Bill. Dr. Keita is currently the head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH), which is overseeing women's health.
Keita explained that during his post-graduate studies in Korle Bu, Ghana, he was tasked to research on FGM/C and present it to the department of obstetrics and gynecology. There, he came across a study done among Senegalese prostitutes which found that women who were circumcised were less likely to have HIV compared to women who were not circumcised.
"And during that research also, I found that different countries have looked for different solutions to this thing [FGM/C] that we are presiding now. Countries like Singapore, which is not a Muslim majority country, have sat down and found a common solution. What was their solution? They medicalised it and made sure that if it is going to be conducted, it should not be done in such a way that it will harm the woman. And then, the people who believe it can also practice. So that is how they balance it," he disclosed.
Obstetrician Keita said since 2022 when he took over as department head at EFSTH up to date, they haven't recorded any pregnancy-related deaths associated with FGM/C. They however received complaints.
"Majority of the complaints that I get related to female genital mutilation is women who come with their partner and say they cannot penetrate. But I can tell you 90% when we assess is either the woman is afraid, or there is fear. And majority of them, when we give them the assurance, they go, they continue with their marital relationship. And some of them even get children," he said.
For Keita, FGM/C is among the least challenges the country's health sector is grappling with. He told the lawmakers that he would have loved to answer issues of maternal mortality and why women are dying of cancer, which are the main problems they are faced with.
"Because those are...affecting women more than this female genital cutting and female circumcision, and unfortunately, sometimes we go into these things because they are driven by donors. But Gambia, as a country, we as professions should look into what our priority is and put effort and our resources into it. Rather than people from outside come and give us an agenda," he said.
Keita said his-led department struggles with office space, operating theater space, and bed space. Sometimes, he went on, two women will share the same bed, some of them with their children. According to him, the aforesaid problems ought to be prioritised, not FGM/C.
"So, overall, in my practice, I have not seen a major complication that cannot be solved. And we move on to things that are more urgent for the health of our women and our girls. Rather than going back and forth about this thing (FGM/C)," he explained.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"So we should find a common solution. And we've also come to learn that the counterpart, male circumcision, has been in practice for more than 200 years. And it's only the last 20 years, with the advent of HIV, that modern medicine has come to realize that these things that were sanctioned by religion have a medical benefit. That is, men who are circumcised are very unlikely to have HIV and to have penile cancer compared to uncircumcised men. And what that taught us is things that are sanctioned by authentic religion tend to come in line with science whether in the long or short term. So those are basically my own sincere opinions about this subject."
Facebook Notice for EU!You need to login to view and post FB Comments!
