Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak has disclosed that about 1,300 applicants who took part in the recent security services recruitment exercise tested positive for HIV during the mandatory medical screening.
According to the Minister, the outcome influenced the government’s decision not to send medical results directly to unsuccessful applicants, explaining that sensitive health information must be communicated with proper counselling.
Speaking before Parliament’s Public Assurance Committee, Mr Muntaka said applicants who fail the medical assessment are instead provided with contact details to enable them to voluntarily request information about their results.
He explained that individuals who reach out to the recruitment authorities are taken through counselling before being informed of the specific medical reasons for their disqualification.
“I remember the recent recruitment we had. I think about 1,300 also were on HIV. Can you imagine sending somebody a result telling the person that you have HIV? That’s not the procedure. The person has to go through some orientation,” he said.
The Minister noted that several medical conditions detected during the screening are treatable, stressing that applicants need to be aware of their health status and seek appropriate medical attention.
“Some of the things that we realised are treatable. People need to know and then also get treatment so that subsequent recruitment they could join,” he added.
Mr Muntaka disclosed that the screening process also identified other conditions, including hepatitis B, cardiac-related issues, mental health conditions, previous major surgeries and drug-related concerns.
He encouraged unsuccessful applicants to request their medical results, noting that some may have health conditions they are unaware of but which can be managed effectively.
“It may be something minor, it may be something major. Whichever it is, if you get to know, it will be of great interest to you,” he said.
The Interior Minister further revealed that more than 100,000 applicants underwent medical examinations after successfully progressing through the aptitude test stage of the recruitment process.
Responding to concerns from members of the Committee over whether applicants diagnosed with HIV had been directly informed, Mr Muntaka said the Ministry had provided avenues for individuals to voluntarily seek their results rather than sending them through phone messages or other channels.
“We provided contact for people to call who were interested in knowing why they failed. We are obliged to give them the results, but we can’t send them to you on the phone,” he stated.
Some Committee members, however, urged the Ministry to consider a more proactive approach to counselling applicants who test positive for HIV, arguing that early awareness and access to treatment could improve health outcomes and reduce the risk of transmission.
Mr Muntaka maintained that the current process was designed to protect applicants from receiving sensitive medical diagnoses without adequate guidance and counselling.