Discriminating against HIV positive persons is a no-no

Dear Editor,
There have been reports in the media that the Singhs of ‘massage my leg’ fame have apologized to our Amerindian brothers and sisters for the distasteful remarks levelled against them. I wish to draw attention to another aspect of what the Singhs arrogantly trumpeted when they met the media about a week ago.

The couple stated that they did not hire HIV positive people and that prospective employees must produce an HIV certificate reflecting a negative result before they would be favourably considered for employment. Editor, apart from the fact that a person’s HIV test result is confidential, the ILO code of practice identifies stigmatizing and discriminating against infected persons as a fundamental no-no.

In Guyana, support and treatment are available, free of cost for infected persons. Long gone are the days when HIV was considered a death sentence. PLHA’s are living for decades and are performing equally effectively alongside their colleagues at no risk to the latter or to their place of employment.

I wish to request that the newly elected Chairperson of the GBCHA, Mrs Tracey Lewis and her dedicated Board of Directors  reach out to traders and businesses operating in the informal economy to sensitize them about HIV, as well as the benefits to be derived from embracing workplace programmes that cater to prevention, care and treatment practices.

Yours faithfully,
Derrick Cummings