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1,500 Immigration dept employees volunteer for HIV/Aids screening
2008-04-16 09:43:54
By Lusekelo Philemon
At least 1,500 employees of the Immigration department across the country, together with their spouses, have taken part in the voluntary HIV/Aids screening campaign that kicked off last year.
The statistics released over the weekend in Dar es Salaam by the department`s HIV/Aids campaign coordinator, Salome Kihamba, indicate that most employees were willing to go for voluntary testing.
Kihamba made the revelation during a farewell part to 40 counselors and accountants leaving for the upcountry regions tour to implement the HIV/Aids screening campaign among the department`s employees.
``The exercise is a continuation of the voluntary screening campaign launched in August last year whereby 350 employees with their spouses were screened,`` she said.
Counselors were sent in the regions to collect more information and come up with a comprehensive report on the HIV/Aids situation in the department across the country.
They would thereafter hand over the report to TACAIDS the main sponsor of the Immigration voluntary screening exercise. So far it has dished out 60m/-.
Kihamba explained that the department`s accountants would closely look into proper usage of the fund for the exercise.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mohamed Muya, said the government stresses on the need for strong special committees to deal with the HIV/Aids scourge at ministerial levels.
``I am very impressed with your efforts to scale down the pandemic. I urge all departments in the government to emulate the example,`` he said.
He said the move would help reduce the scale of the problem at working places whereby those infected would be able to gain access to medication.
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