Workplace HIV policy launched to improve healthcare access

A national workplace HIV and wellness policy designed to strengthen disease prevention, improve access to health care and protect workers’ rights across the country has been launched.

The Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment and the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) jointly developed the policy as a strategic response to persistent HIV infections, undiagnosed cases and workplace stigma.

It also forms part of national efforts to improve productivity and achieve universal health coverage.

The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah, launched the policy document at a brief ceremony in Accra yesterday. Present at the launch were government officials, employers, organised labour, civil society organisations, development partners, academics and the media.

Policy

The policy sets out guidelines for prevention, voluntary counselling and testing, treatment support and wellness promotion within workplaces.

It affirms that employers must not discriminate against workers based on their HIV status and must ensure confidentiality, safe work environments and access to support services.

The framework promotes integrated health interventions, including screening for non-communicable diseases, mental health awareness and referral systems into the national health structure.

Significance

Speaking before launching the policy document, Dr Ayensu-Danquah described the policy as central to the country’s development agenda and workforce protection.

She said workplaces had to be platforms for education, stigma reduction, voluntary counselling and testing, treatment support and wellness promotion.

“Employment decisions must remain free from discrimination and grounded in merit. HIV status must never be a basis for discrimination in recruitment, retention, promotion or any other condition of work,” she stated.

Dr Ayensu-Danquah also underscored the importance of integrated care in addressing both infectious and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), stressing that workplace health interventions should not be limited to HIV education alone.

Strategy

For his part, the acting Director-General of the GAC, Dr KharmaCelle Prosper Akanbong, said the policy document would be disseminated across all regions.

"We will also strengthen the monitoring and reporting systems to track progress and support continuous improvement.

"Partnerships across government, employers, organised legal and civil society, and development partners will also be central in the implementation process of this policy," he said.

Dr Akanbong stressed that many infected individuals remained undiagnosed and that workplaces offered a practical solution.

He also highlighted the urgency of expanding detection and care, citing a 2024 study that 334,000 people in the country lived with HIV.

"The AIDS response requires that we leave no one behind.

And so, we can only find people who have the infection by actually reaching out to them at the workplace," Dr Akanbong added.