By Patrick Onyango
July 14, 2003
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President Yoweri Museveni offers free HIV/Aids treatment to selected army officers, Mbarara Municipality MP Winnie Byanyima has said. Ms Byanyima last week told Parliament that Mr Museveni offers free anti-retroviral drugs to soldiers personally known to him. She said even army officers selected to go for refresher courses abroad are subjected to compulsory HIV screening before they leave. Byanyima was reacting to a statement by the National Political Commissar, Dr Crispus Kiyonga. Kiyonga told the House that it's against government policy to forcibly screen new workers for HIV before appointing them. "They [companies which screen workers before appointment] shall be dealt with," Kiyonga said. "Government cannot accept that approach [of testing people]," he added. This forced Byanyima to ask the minister whether he was aware that President Museveni forces trainee officers to be screened for HIV and that he (Museveni) offers free anti-retroviral drugs to selected army officers. Kiyonga said that the army in Africa has been badly hit by the Aids pandemic. He said that in some countries more than 50 percent of the soldiers are infected with Aids. "Our security will be compromised," he said. Kiyonga said that African governments got money from the Global Funds for Aids and Museveni might be using this money to offer free treatment to army officers. He said that some countries like Cuba demand that trainee officers be screened for HIV before they are accepted. "Cuba for instance requires that before we send officers there they should be HIV negative and we have no choice," Kiyonga said. He however insisted that the government would take firm action against any company or institution that forcibly screens its workers for HIV. Workers MP, Ms Teopista Ssentongo Nabulya, told Parliament that Stanbic Bank screens its workers for HIV. "In South Africa [Stanbic Bank] they are not allowed to test people and now when they come to Uganda they want to subject our people to this [HIV testing]," Nabulya said. Nabulya also asked the government to punish the headmistress of Greenhill Academy, Ms Joy Maraka, for sacking about 20 teachers who were pregnant. Kiyonga promised to investigate and take action against the headmistress. |
© 2003 The Monitor Publications
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