Indian state to adopt workplace HIV policy - report
19 Nov 2006 08:13:05 GMT Source: Reuters
MUMBAI, Nov 19 (Reuters) - India's western state of Maharashtra is set to introduce a policy aimed at curbing discrimination against HIV-infected workers, a leading newspaper said on Sunday. It would cover areas such as recruitment, transfers and promotions, and would be applied first in all state government offices, the Hindustan Times said, quoting Maharashtra's health secretary, Vijay Satbir Singh. The state would ask private-sector firms to adopt the policy after a few months, the paper said. "Authorities who know about the HIV-positive status of an employee would be required to keep it confidential," Singh was quoted as saying. There are an estimated 650,000 HIV-infected people living in Maharashtra, India's wealthiest state. The policy, the first for an Indian state, was likely to be announced on Dec. 1 to coincide with World AIDS Day, the paper said. India recently overtook South Africa as the country with the highest number of people living with HIV -- an estimated 5.7 million, according to the United Nations. Although India reported its first case 20 years ago, it has yet to enact a law to prevent discrimination against patients, many of whom face acute stigma at home and in the workplace. General provisions in the Indian constitution against discrimination only apply to the government, state agencies and the public sector, and not private firms, where much of the hostile treatment of HIV-positive people is reported to occur.
