HIV test to be made mandatory for seeking jobs in Armed Forces

Jammu, Apr 1 (UNI) Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS) Surgeon V K Singh said here today that HIV test is proposed to be made mandatory for candidates seeking jobs in the armed forces.

During his first visit to the 166 Military Hospital, Satwari, Jammu after assuming office as the DGAFMS, Vice Admiral Singh, addressing a press conference here said the armed forces are tackling the HIV affected cases very seriously and at present the number of HIV affected patients in Armed Forces is very low.

Vice Admiral Singh who is also the Senior Colonel Commandant said, the first case of HIV was detected in 1981 in US while in Indian Armed Forces it was found in 1991, and these cases were detected in those jawans, who were appointed at North-East or the border areas.

''In armed forces, the number of HIV affected level, is less than 0.028 per cent as 0.9 per cent in the country among the civilians. To bring down this at zero level, we have sent a proposal to the government to carry out the HIV detective test of each and every candidate during their recruitment.'' he added.

Vice Admiral Singh, an ENT surgeon of internal repute and pioneer in microsurgery of ear and larynx, said, the doctors of armed forces are exercising all the possible measures to detect the HIV and inform the jawans about this. ''Contracting HIV positive virus is not any crime but to hide this is a serious crime,'' he added.

Replying a question, he accepted that the stress level among the jawans in armed forces is higher, adding, it is not a matter of armed forces. ''Whole country and even a child is also passing through higher stress level due to their personal problems, but we have taken this issue very seriously and trying to solve the personal problem of the jawans. We are also conducting one to one contact.'' ''The jawan of Indian armed forces is never worried about himself. He gets stressed for his family. Therefore, whenever necessary we request civil authorities to care for the families of the jawans. If any jawan wants leave, we immediately sanction it,'' he added.

Vice Admiral Singh said that he has given instruction to the army hospitals situated in remote areas including 166 MH Jammu to look after the civilian patients in accidental cases and serious cases on humanitarian ground.

''Being at the border and in remote areas, the people cannot get the modern medical services in proper time, therefore it is our duty to tackle the accidental and serious cases,'' he added.

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