A total of 1,300 applicants who participated in recent recruitment exercises for Ghana’s security services have tested positive for HIV, the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has disclosed.
The Minister revealed the figures while appearing before Parliament’s Government Assurance Committee on Tuesday, July 7. According to him, the cases were identified during medical screening conducted as part of the recruitment process involving approximately 100,000 applicants.
The disclosure prompted concern from the Committee’s Chairman, Dominic Nitiwul, who called on the Ministry of the Interior to urgently establish a mechanism to contact the affected individuals.
“Please, find a way of reaching out to these people as the number is huge and scary,” Mr. Nitiwul urged.
He stressed that notifying the affected applicants would enable them to become aware of their HIV status, receive professional counselling, access appropriate medical care and treatment, and reduce the risk of unknowingly transmitting the virus to others.
Responding to the concerns, Mr. Muntaka explained that the Ministry has deliberately refrained from communicating the test results directly to the applicants to minimise psychological distress.
“The results have not been sent directly to the applicants because we do not want the shock,” he told the Committee.
Instead, he said, the Ministry has provided a dedicated contact line through which applicants can voluntarily reach out to receive counselling and orientation before being informed of their test results.
The Interior Minister noted that the approach is consistent with internationally accepted medical and ethical practices for delivering sensitive health information.
Referring to guidance from the World Health Organization, he explained that diagnoses involving conditions such as HIV and hepatitis B require careful handling to protect the mental well-being and privacy of affected individuals.
“You just do not throw it on a person’s face that you have hepatitis B and you have HIV,” he stated.
The disclosure has renewed discussions on the importance of voluntary HIV testing, counselling, confidentiality, and timely access to treatment, while highlighting the need for strengthened public health education and support services for those diagnosed with the virus.