NEWS
02.08.10
Anglo American leads fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa
ICMM member Anglo American is leading the way in the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.
This is largely due to their corporately funded anti-retroviral program set up in 2002, which has seen a marked drop in employee fatality rates.
Ten years ago, the company had to train two people to do each job – just in case one of them died. But theprogram – which distributes anti-retroviral medication to all staff free of charge – became a turning point.
"We decided to make the treatment available to all of our staff, despite the fact we didn't know what this would cost," said Anglo's Group Medical Consultant, Dr Brian Brink.
"Doing this was transformational and it solved a significant problem for the company – the fact a lot of our staff were dying."
In 2008, ICMM released a Good Practice Guidance on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which outlines practical steps for mining companies to tackle the three diseases.
The guidance was developed by a group of health specialists from ICMM member companies, including Anglo American. It provides a systematic management process that determines the level of intervention required for HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.
Dr Brink describes TB as an "overwhelming worry", saying that there is anecdotal evidence of more and more TB in employees that are not HIV positive.
Anglo thinks the escalating TB epidemic could be more worrying than HIV. Because TB is difficult to diagnose, it is often missed and diagnosed too late.
Anglo has learnt that companies benefit from investing in the health of their staff. As Dr Brink says: "The AIDS story for Anglo is an example of why it works. TB underscores why it is essential."
Read the full article here.
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