AIDS / HIV prevention has taken on new urgency. Not that hitherto there was any let up in its preventive priority but early this week Standard Chartered Bank and the business community have teamed to add urgency to address imminent dangers of the decease spreading.

Presently Sri Lanka is recorded on the low prevalence list of countries affected by AIDS. Consultant Representative of the Ministry of Health Dr. Sujatha Samarakoone said there are now 1022 recorded cases of AIDS in Sri Lanka, but she also said irrespective of this known figure the department could not at this point of time say these cases continue to be on the positive list because they do not adhere to follow-up action. She also said the department could not track suspected cases because there could be many more. Although Sri Lanka is on the low prevalence list complacency at this juncture could be disastrous.

Launching the programme CEO Standard Chartered Bank, Clive Haswell said ‘There have been individual efforts by businesses but this is not enough’. He further said it was now opportune that leadership to prevent discrimination in work sites be systematically be eroded to give equal opportunities to all.

A question generated from the audience pin pointed the usual pre-requisite of most employers inserting the clause of good health when an application is considered. General consensus was that obnoxious clauses such as that described would nullify fair action that could be considered. That too corporate projections for equality in work places if applied as envisaged then clauses such as those within any company’s structure should be revoked.

Director International Labour Organisation, (ILO)Tine Staermose, said UN AIDS was a joint programme of the UN and the ILO targeting health care settings concentrating on AIDS prevention and discrimination in work places. Subject to incidence of the decease there are those turned away from jobs, placing that degree of differentiation on victims. This leads to the stigma of AIDS and causes immediate personal frustration.

The ILO AIDS prevention programme reaches out to vulnerable groups and endeavors to break down social taboos in work sites.