Tolon MP pushes for mandatory HIV testing for job seekers in Ghana
The First Deputy Minority Whip and Member of Parliament for Tolon, Habib Iddrisu, has called for mandatory HIV/AIDS testing as a requirement for employment in Ghana.
According to him, this proposal should be endorsed and integrated into the recruitment processes of both public and private sectors.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, Habib Iddrisu argued that the increasing number of HIV cases in the country required more structured interventions, including workplace testing, this he said, will enable early detection.
“Recently, when you listen to what the Ministry of Health is saying with regard to HIV, it is very rampant now. It’s on an increase that many people are now being tested positive for HIV in Ghana than before,” he stated.
The Tolon MP emphasized that integrating HIV testing into routine health screenings for job applicants would not only ensure early detection, but also enhance contact tracing efforts, and improving access to treatment.
“I think it should be part of the requirements in every organisation in Ghana. If you want to be given a job opportunity, you should be allowed to be tested. HIV should be part of the health screening so that we’ll be able to know,” he argued, adding that ignorance of one’s HIV status could delay treatment and increase the risk of transmission.
“When you are not tested, and you don’t know your status, you will not be able to handle it or look for solutions to it,” he added.
The First Deputy Minority Whip called on both government entities and non-governmental organizations to make HIV testing a standard requirement for employment and contractual engagements, and stressed the importance of ensuring that persons who test positive have access to free medication, which according to him, is essential for reducing stigma and promoting voluntary compliance.
“And medication, in terms of when you test positive, it should be made free everywhere, so that people living with HIV can have access to it,” he said.
The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) recently expressed concern over low condom use among young people, particularly adolescent girls and young women in the Volta Region, warning that the situation is undermining efforts to reduce HIV infections in the region.
According the Commission, the Volta Region recorded 809 new HIV cases, made up of 221 males aged 15 years and above, 519 females aged 15 years and above, and 69 children, bringing the total regional tally to 19,078, representing 5.7% of the total 334,721 persons living with HIV in Ghana.
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