Devon Evans, Gleaner Writer

Ocho Rios, St. Ann:

The Medical Association of Jamaica has come out in strong opposition to the requests of some employers to have their workers tested for HIV/AIDS.

According to Dr. Alverston Bailey, president of the MAJ, this is one of the problems members of the association have been encountering and which it sees as inappropriate, unethical and unfair to workers.

In calling for an end to this practice, he advised employers that persons with HIV also have rights under the law and can lead a healthy and productive life.

Dr. Bailey was guest speaker at a public forum and concert put on by Zone seven optimist clubs at the St. Ann Parish Library in St. Ann's Bay on Saturday.

Another option

He said that, instead of trying to screen their workers for HIV/AIDS, employers must be encouraged to become educated about the disease and the conditions associated with it because that would make good business sense.

He also said it is important for employers to put systems in place to protect their workers from the disease.

The MAJ president then recommended that employers adopt a host of policies.

Among those policies is that people with HIV/AIDS are entitled to the same rights, benefits, and opportunities as people with other serious illnesses.

He also suggested that employment practices must, at a minimum, comply with the laws of the land and that the highest level of management should unequivocally endorse non discriminatory employment practices.

Pre-employment requirements

Dr. Bailey said management must not require HIV screening as part of pre-employment requirements.

In his own address Karl Fuller, acting custos of St. Ann, congratulated members of the optimist clubs for their efforts to heighten public awareness about HIV/AIDS.

Saturday's event began with a road race, labelled 'Race against AIDS', which started in Ocho Rios and ended in St. Ann's Bay.

Sonia Anderson, governor-elect of the Caribbean district of Optimist International, said the primary objective of the event was to ensure that a far more persons become conscious of the dreaded disease and support efforts to control its spread in Jamaica.