BY EWURABENA PAHA
The Ghana AIDS Commission says its Act clearly stipulates that a person’s HIV status alone is not sufficient grounds for refusing employment or denying the right to work.
Speaking at a news conference at its headquarters in Accra, the Commission said the reported disqualification of applicants during the recent security services recruitment exercise because of their HIV status was discriminatory.
A Technical Director at the Commission, Dr Fred Nana Poku, who spoke on behalf of the Director-General, said the number of applicants who tested positive was not unusual because it closely reflects Ghana’s national HIV prevalence rate of 1.49%.
Dr Poku added that an initial reactive screening result should be followed by the three tier serial testing to confirm an hiv positive result.
The Commission said education on HIV and AIDS must be accurate, evidence-based and respectful of the rights and dignity of all people, adding that this remains part of its mandate.
While the Commission recognises the importance of medical screening during recruitment exercises, it urged the security services to conduct such testing in a manner that protects the rights and dignity of applicants, saying any practice to the contrary violates Ghana’s HIV and AIDS laws.
The commission said it remains committed to working with all to ensure education and sensitisation on the disease is carried to all Ghanaians
