Gendarme, Paris firefighter, soldier… Until now, in France, HIV-positive people could not access these professions.
In a letter sent on May 2 to the Minister of the Armed Forces, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin had proposed to put an end to this democracy. HIV-positive people will now be able to join the army, confirmed this Monday, May 7, on France 2, Sébastien Lecornu, who issued an order to this effect. He ” will be published in the coming days » and will apply to the « gendarmerie, the Paris and Marseille firefighters, and all the armed forces “, said Sébastien Lecornu in the program Les Quatre truths on France 2, Monday, May 8.
People with HIV will soon be able to join the army. ” Having HIV will no longer be a criterion of discrimination in principle “, he underlined. Until now, the medical criteria for aptitude for integration did not allow HIV-positive people to access these professions.
” It was not necessarily discriminatory, the army health service sometimes had some fears for our soldiers who served in overseas operations. They have done a remarkable job with the associations and in particular AIDES, thanks to which they have changed the therapeutic protocols which now allow us to ensure that having HIV is not a discriminating criterion for entering the armed forces. “, justified the minister.
Classified unfit
At the end of November 2022, this discrimination in hiring targeting people living with HIV, the virus responsible for AIDS, had already been lifted for the police. The government had repealed by decree the application of Sigycop, a device for evaluating physical fitness used in several public service professions. Applied strictly, based on a rating from 1 to 6, this assessment automatically classed HIV-positive people as unfit.
Until now, the Ministry of the Armed Forces, whose health service governs the recruitment of gendarmes and military firefighters, had always refused to modify the Sigycop, yet denounced as obsolete by the associations. Today, the quality and life expectancy with the virus has improved. And the latest scientific studies have shown that HIV-positive people receiving antiretroviral treatment have an undetectable viral load and do not transmit HIV.
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(And with AFP)