HIV test mandatory for State sector

By Anurangi Singh

HIV tests will be mandatory for all State sector employees in due course according to the Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine, Rajitha Senaratne.

“We have decided to introduce the test to all State sector employees. But there so many details that need to be gone through before we can go ahead with it. We also have to mobilize the people and the Director General is attending to it,” he said.

All employees will have to undergo the test which will be mandatory.

Director General of the Health Ministry, Dr. Palitha Mahipala told the Sunday Observer, that this will be included in the regular medical examination...

...that candidates must face. “But there are so many steps that need to be taken to successfully implement it and to include it in the medical form,” he said.

The purpose is to screen high risk segments in society and then bring about prevention through that. The Director General said since the first detection of an HIV patient, about 30 years ago, there have been 2,436 identified cases so far. “However, even identifying one is important, because prevention is what we have to consider here,” he said.