Minister Drops Bombshell: 1,300 Security Applicants Have HIV

In a startling revelation that has ignited debate on national health policy and recruitment standards, the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has disclosed that a staggering 1,300 applicants seeking to join Ghana’s security services tested positive for HIV during the latest recruitment exercise.

The minister made the disclosure before Parliament’s Assurances Committee on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, shedding light on the outcomes of mandatory medical screening conducted as part of the recruitment process.

The figure emerged from a rigorous screening of over 100,000 applicants who had earlier passed the aptitude tests, with the 1,300 positive cases representing a significant proportion of those who proceeded to the medical phase.

Muntaka had previously disclosed that over 6,000 applicants were disqualified from the same recruitment for failing drug and mental health assessments.

HIV Plus More

The minister explained that HIV was one of several health conditions detected during the screening process. Medical teams also identified hepatitis B, heart conditions, mental health challenges, previous major surgeries, and drug-related issues among some applicants.

Many of the conditions detected are treatable, the minister said, urging unsuccessful applicants to obtain their medical results and seek medical attention where necessary.

“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,” Muntaka stated.

Authorities deliberately withheld applicants’ medical results until proper counselling could be provided, the minister told the committee, stressing that delivering an HIV diagnosis without professional guidance would be inappropriate.

“In the recent recruitment, we had, I think, about 1,300 or so that were on HIV. Can you imagine sending somebody a result without telling the person that you have HIV? That’s not the procedure. The person has to go through some orientation,” he explained.

Muntaka noted that the approach was consistent with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, which discourage the disclosure of certain diagnoses without proper counselling. He reiterated that the state is prepared to hand over findings to anyone who asks but emphasised that sensitive data would not be distributed casually.

Urgent Action

The Chairperson of the Government Assurance Committee, Dominic Nitiwul, urged the ministry to take immediate steps to reach out to the 1,300 persons who tested positive. “Please, find a way of reaching out to these people as the number is huge and scary,” Nitiwul said, adding that contacting them would enable them to know their status, seek counselling, and begin early treatment, which is critical to preventing them from unknowingly spreading the virus.

Gender

The revelation comes against the backdrop of Ghana’s continuing battle against HIV. The latest official figures show that 15,290 new HIV infections and 12,614 AIDS-related deaths were recorded in 2024, while 334,721 people were living with the virus.

Women continue to bear a heavier burden, accounting for 229,261 of those living with HIV (68.5%), compared with 105,460 men (31.5%). The figures, which represent the most recent official data pending the release of the 2025 estimates, highlight the persistent public health challenge posed by HIV and AIDS in the country.

Overall antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage among adults stands at 47.5%, indicating that more than half of adults living with HIV are not receiving treatment. Ghana also remains below the global 95-95-95 HIV targets, with 68% of people living with HIV knowing their status, 69% of those diagnosed receiving ART, and 90% of those on treatment achieving viral suppression.

Process Right

The minister defended the government’s hands-off approach against criticism from committee members who pressed for a more proactive strategy to directly counsel those diagnosed with HIV. He maintained that the current framework is designed to shield individuals from the psychological shock of receiving a life-altering diagnosis without immediate, face-to-face support.

“So those who may be complaining, we are sorry, but at least it’s better than coming to Accra. But we want to even make it better next time,” the minister assured, referencing improvements to the recruitment process