Circumcision Guidelines

Guidelines for male circumcision in the Victorian public hospital system

From 1 September 2007 Victorian public hospitals will be providing circumcision of males for medical reasons only.

Public hospital treatment should be prioritised to treat patients who have a medical need for surgery to improve their health. The Department of Human Services is therefore making changes so Victorian public hospitals only offer surgery that solves a health problem. Many medical organisations in Australia and overseas recommend that in most cases, there is no medical
need for circumcision.

Public hospitals will continue to provide circumcision where there is an identified need for surgery to improve the patient’s physical health. The medical reasons for circumcision are as follows:

• Phimosis
  A condition that prevents the retraction of the foreskin, which is either congenital or the result of infection.
  
  
• Recurrent Balanoposthitis
  A generalised inflammation of the penis occurring as a complication of bacterial or fungal infection.
  
  
• Paraphimosis
  A condition characterised by an inability to replace the foreskin in its normal position after it has been retracted, which is caused by a narrow or inflamed foreskin.

Further information

From 1 September 2007 parents and health care professionals can request hard copies of the resources provided on this page by calling Information Victoria on: 1300 366 356

For more information parents can contact the Elective Surgery Access Line on: 1300 781 821

Resources

Guidelines for male circumcision

English versions

Guidelines for male circumcision in the Victorian public hospital system - information for health professionals (pdf, 70k)

Guidelines for male circumcision in the Victorian public hospital system - information for parents (pdf, 63k)

Languages other than English

Albanian: Guidelines for male circumcision in the Victorian public hospital system - information for parents (pdf, 65k)

Amharic: Guidelines for male circumcision in the Victorian public hospital system - information for parents (pdf, 110k)

Arabic: Guidelines for male circumcision in the Victorian public hospital system - information for parents (pdf, 92k)

Bosnian: Guidelines for male circumcision in the Victorian public hospital system - information for parents (pdf, 64k)

Dari: Guidelines for male circumcision in the Victorian public hospital system - information for parents (pdf, 90k)

Oromo: Guidelines for male circumcision in the Victorian public hospital system - information for parents (pdf, 61k)

Somali: Guidelines for male circumcision in the Victorian public hospital system - information for parents (pdf, 61k)

Tigrinya: Guidelines for male circumcision in the Victorian public hospital system - information for parents (pdf, 109k)

Turkish: Guidelines for male circumcision in the Victorian public hospital system - information for parents (pdf, 65k)

Additional resources

Victorian private hospitals where circumcisions are performed (pdf, 13k)

Circumcision: A parents’ guide to routine circumcision of male infants and boys (pdf, 196kb)

How much does a circumcision cost? (pdf, 10k)

Circumcision Techniques (word, 27kb)

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