Jordan has suspended the recruitment of domestic helpers from Ghana for public safety reasons after some 30 workers tested positive for HIV/AIDS, the Jordan Times reported on Monday.
According to the Hatem Azrui, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health for Jordan, the decision is aimed at preserving the health of the public and households that hire domestic helpers from Ghana.
Jordan’s Health Ministry stated that around 30 Ghanaian domestic helpers tested positive for HIV in the first seven months of 2016.
The Ghanaian domestic helpers with HIV are between the ages of 20 and 40.
“They were tested in Ghana before coming to Jordan. They brought health certificates with them proving that they are free from HIV and other diseases, but we conducted our own tests to make sure,” Hatem Azrui said.
“We are in the process of looking into accrediting some certified labs in Ghana to conduct the required tests for domestic helpers wishing to come to Jordan,” he added.
Hatem Azrui stated that the required medical tests will continue to be conducted for all domestic helpers once in Jordan to ensure public safety.
Jordan opened the door to the recruitment of domestic helpers from Ghana, among other countries, in 2015 to meet the rising demand.
The largest number of domestic helpers in Jordan are from the Philippines (15,636), followed by Sri Lankans (3,742) and then Indonesians (1,233), according to a report by Sisterhood Is Global.