Workers voluntarily test for HIV status

Over 100 workers voluntarily tested for their HIV status at the events grounds of the Luv Sports Invitational Tournament in Kumasi.

The Ghana Employers Association mounted a stand to get participants tested, under the GEA Global Fund HIV Round 8 project. The focus is to curtail the incident of HIV-AIDS at the workplace.

Officials say none of the corporate staff tested was positive.

Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Godfred Odei Boateng observed education on HIV and other sexually transmitted infections is going down well with the working population.

“With the testing, it's good that everyone gets to know the status. You can talk about absenteeism at the workplace, you can about labour turnover and these things as employers' association we believe affect employers so much. So once we embark on these things, we try to reduce the impact that the disease has at the workplace.

“I think most often, when someone does it and he or she is negative, it's an attraction to the work mates to do it to also prove that they are also negative”, he stated.

Project Officer, Angela Eghan says the project targets women as much as men emphasizing on preventive methodologies.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh