In addition, a lack of role models (0.1% in sub-Saharan Africa) and full information to make an informed choice are serious issues. In Kenya, like other countries in Africa healthcare, 95 per cent of health care providers lack information on a vasectomy, few doctors can perform it. Hence making it a hanging field where gynaecologists say they only deal with women, try a urologist and Urologists would say we only deal with a sick scrotum, not family planning
Way Forward
According to Dr Charles Ochieng, countries in the US and Europe have been reversing the process but Kenya lacked the expertise to perform this process. There should be leadership in vasectomy so that men can take the option and reduce the burden of family planning on women. “The concern for most men is how to reverse the procedure should anything happened. This is no longer going to be an issue”.
The Kenya Vasectomy and Reversal Centre to be established in the outskirts of Nairobi city is to promote family planning. It will reverse vasectomy, which was previously permanent, making it possible for men to have children again. “Once the centre has been established, we would use telemedicine or create a video link with doctors from outside to perform the process here in Kenya. This will help to ease the burden of travelling abroad for the reverse process”.
Dr Ochieng hopes to see the facilities set up across Africa that purely offers vasectomy. This would provide vasectomy services to “walk-in” clients and offer discrete service to men that are willing.