Over 1,000 HIV/AIDS affected persons reported:

Minister calls for vigilance in workplaces

by Ananda KANNANGARA

Labour Relations and Manpower Minister Athauda Seneviratne yesterday said that over 1,000 HIV/AIDS affected persons have been reported from various parts of the country and called upon the managers of all public and private sector institutions to be vigilant over such workers, employed within their workplaces. “It is the duty of managers and other higher officials to educate their own workforce about the negative impact and the stigma of HIV/AIDS, the most dangerous disease,” he said.

According to the latest Health Ministry statistics, over 90 percent persons affected with HIV/AIDS in the country are between 29 and 49 and everybody must know that they are from the most productive section in the society.

Referring to a conference, conducted by the Lanka Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Minister Seneviratne told the Sunday Observer that the management of any institution must first recognize that their biggest asset is their workforce.

He said that HIV/AIDS affects the most productive segment of the labour force and as a result, productivity gradually declines which would lead to the loss of skilled and experienced workers.

“If the workforce is not performing to the optimum level, the company is not achieving its ultimate goals,” he said.

Minister Seneviratne also highlighted that HIV/AIDS is spreading very fast from urban to rural areas and from the high-risk groups to the general population.

He called upon all health conscious people in the country to fight against HIV/AIDS.