By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, July 7, GNA – Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, the Minister for the Interior, has disclosed that about 1,300 applicants who participated in the recent security services recruitment exercise tested positive for HIV during mandatory medical screenings.
Alhaji Muntaka made the revelation on Tuesday, during the public hearing of Parliament’s Committee on Assurances in Parliament House, Accra.
According to the Minister, the applicants were identified at the medical screening stage of the recruitment process for agencies under the Ministry of the Interior, including the Police, Immigration, Fire Service, and the Prisons Service.
“Mr. Chairman, in the recent recruitment we had, I think, about 1,300 or so were tested HIV positive,” he told the Committee.
The Minister said the government deliberately chose not to send HIV-positive results directly to applicants without proper counselling and orientation.
“In the recent recruitment we had, I think, about 1,300 or so tested HIV positive. Can you imagine sending somebody a result without telling the person that you have HIV? I mean, that is not the procedure. The person must go through some orientation, he said.
To protect the privacy and well-being of those affected, Alhaji Muntaka explained that disqualified applicants were given a contact number to reach out if they wanted to know the reason for their disqualification.
“So, one of the things that we did was simply to say that when you get disqualified, you are given a contact to reach out if you want to know why you were disqualified,” he stated.
The Minister added that the screening also detected other medical conditions including Hepatitis B, cardiac problems, mental health conditions, previous major surgeries, and drug-related issues.
He noted that many of the conditions identified were treatable and encouraged unsuccessful applicants to seek their results.
“Some of the things that we realised are treatable. People need to know and get treatment to join subsequent recruitment, he said.
“It may be something minor; it may be something major. Whichever it is, if you get to know, it will be of great interest to you,” the Minister added.
The Ministry has not yet released the total number of applicants screened or a breakdown by the Agency.
Security service recruitment in Ghana requires medical fitness as part of the enlistment standards, with applicants who test positive for certain conditions typically referred for treatment and support services.
Meanwhile, Mr Dominic Nitiwul, the Chairman of the Government Assurances Committee of Parliament, has advised the Minister for the Interior to take immediate steps to reach out to the 1,300 persons who tested HIV positive during the recent recruitment exercises into various security agencies.
He said if the Minister and the various security agencies contacted those affected, it would help them to know their status, seek counselling, and undergo early treatment.
“This will help the recruits, who are still unaware of their status, to stop spreading the virus,” Mr Nitiwul said.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei
Reporter: Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
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