Beginning next month, anyone and everyone wishing to join the Armed Forces will have to undergo screening for HIV/AIDS before being inducted into the services. While the screening, which will be made compulsory for all branches of the Armed Forces, has been finalised, a formal nod from the Ministry of Defence is still awaited.‘‘From October 1 this year, all personnel joining the Armed Forces will be tested at one of the 96 screening centres set up for the task,’’ said Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (DG AFMS) Vice Admiral V K Singh on Saturday. The infrastructure for the largescale tests has already been put into place by the medical services, he added.While compulsory tests are already on for soldiers returning from service in “vulnerable” areas like the Northeast and J&K and troops coming back from foreign assignments, the new policy of “testing before joining” is an indication that the armed forces is taking a serious view of the issue. The Armed Forces, which has been battling an increasing number of AIDS/HIV cases with the Army reporting the maximum number, has taken a number of proactive steps to stem the tide. Among them are awareness camps, health tips and distribution of free condoms for personnel serving in the Northeast. Pre-natal tests have also been made compulsory for all deliveries at Army hospitals.
