Abidin (centre) launching the standard operating procedure at the Community Hall yesterday.
KOTA KINABALU: City Hall has adopted a standard operating procedure (SOP) for preventing drug and alcohol abuse and management of HIV/AIDS at the workplace.
Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir in launching the SOP yesterday, said it will not only serve as a guideline for City Hall but also as a clear message to stress its stand and commitment in preventing drug and alcohol abuse and HIV/AIDS infection.
In conjunction with the launch, a one-day awareness campaign was held to educate City Hall employees on HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome).
The campaign, which included talks and discussions on prevention, symptoms and management of the disease, also had a paperwork presentation on the negative impact of drug abuse and rehabilitation of drug addicts at the workplace.
“I believe the topic being discussed is relevant, not because DBKK staff are drug addicts, alcoholics or infected with HIV/AIDS but to increase their knowledge and awareness on these problems, and as a gentle reminder to the staff to be more careful and to stay away from them,” he said at the launch held at Kota Kinabalu Community Hall, yesterday.
HIV is a lentivirus (slowly replicating retrovirus) that causes AIDS, a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive.
Infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculate, or breast milk.
Madingkir said City Hall’s policy specified that management and employees are responsible towards creating a safe and conducive workplace, including setting in place effective measures for monitoring HIV/AIDS infection.
“The management will ensure that information on employees infected with HIV/AIDS are protected. They also have the right to conduct random sampling or test any employee suspected to be infected by virus or have drug or drinking problems. The results will be classified,” he said.
He stressed that it was important not only to ensure the health of employees but also to provide necessary measures to assist those having problems, to ensure that they remain productive.
About 500 City Hall workers attended the talks.