Accra, Aug. 19, GNA - Mr Fiifi Kwetey, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP), on Wednesday launched the workplace HIV/AIDS project for the Ministry in Accra.

The project is aimed at protecting the welfare of staff to enable them to contribute their quota to the development of the country.

It is also to mitigate the impact of denial, stigma and discrimination in the workplace as well as assist and link affected persons to treatment, care and support centres.

He noted that the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS indicated that about 33.3 million people were infected with the virus globally with 22.5 million in sub-Sahara Africa, mostly in the age group of 15-49 years.

Mr Kwetey said there was the need to help curb the spread of the virus in the society with the Ministry taking the step to ensure that those who manned the affairs of the country were in good health and free of the virus.

He said millions of people would be affected with the virus if care and education were not given to protect their welfare.

Mr Enoch Cobinnah, Chief Director, MOFEP, said the virus posed a threat to the Ministry’s ability to ensure macroeconomic stability for the promotion of sustainable economic growth and development.

He advised the public to desist from looking down on those with the virus but rather encourage them to feel at home to prevent any havoc.

Mr Cobinnah said the project would serve as a guide to the Ministry in its fight against the disease as well as protect and control the spread of the virus among staff.

He urged staff and the public to go for regular check-ups to know their health status, adding that most people did not know their health status until they fell sick.

Mr Emmanuel Edumadze Mensah, Coordinator of the MOFEP HIV/AIDS project, said the project was instituted in June 2008 and launched in September 2008 by the Ghana AIDS Commission with the aim of sensitizing the Ministry’s staff and their dependents on HIV/AIDS prevention.

He urged other institutions to introduce the project to help fight the virus in the country because the State would be affected if its workers were infected.