NZ: Circumcision cut from public funding, people put off by cost

Article here. Excerpt:

'The strict criteria for publicly-funded circumcisions has seen fewer procedures carried out in the Waikato.

Over the last four-and-a-half years, 403 males received a publicly funded circumcision, with more than half of those patients aged five years and under.

Waikato Hospital Services executive director Brett Paradine said policy does not allow paediatric surgeons to perform circumcisions for religious or cultural reasons.

"We are confident as we can be without a manual search of all records, that the circumcisions that have been done have been done for clear medical indications, often as a necessary part of other surgery."

K'aute Pasifika nurse Maiotele Lowen said circumcision is common among the Samoan community but it was more of a religious practice as opposed to a cultural practice.'