HIV/Aids program - Intervet South Africa

The HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa is spiraling upwards to the detriment of the country’s economy and the fabric of society. Many families, especially in the rural communities, are reeling under the impact of losing breadwinners to the disease either through death or constant illnesses that prevent them from being economically active.

Bearing this in mind, and with regards to the Akzo Nobel CSR Policy, we have devised a program that has been implemented to assist our staff members with the diagnosis and management of HIV/AIDS. 

To put the scale of this national tragedy in perspective, the following statistics that have been provided by reliable sources in South Africa highlight the plight of the country’s people affected:

• Five million South Africans, or 11% of the total population of 46 million, are infected with HIV;
• The number of people counseled for testing in the public sector has risen from 413,000 in 2002/03 to 619,000 in 2003/04; and
• Some provinces have a recorded HIV positive incidence of over 30%. 

South Africa is a developing country with many pressing social issues, posing a dilemma for responsible corporate citizens of how and where to contribute to society in a meaningful manner.  In line with the Akzo Nobel directive, we took special cognizance of the pandemic by putting a program in place to assist Intervet staff members afflicted with HIV.
 
Due to the strict legal constitutional requirements for confidentiality in South Africa, we have contracted an outside supplier to provide the services we require.  Intervet pays a small fixed monthly premium to the contractor who maintains contact with all staff members, and particularly those who have been identified as HIV positive.

Our program aims at both prolonging and improving the overall quality of their lives, and enables each and every employee to receive two free HIV screening tests annually. Should an employee prove to be HIV positive, at no additional cost to either the employee or the Company, the employee would be placed on the Service Provider’s anti-retroviral program which includes the following:

• Regular screening to monitor cell count;
• The provision of anti-retroviral drugs;  and
• 24 hours telephonic counseling when necessary. 

In addition to the above, should any of the employee’s immediate family members experience exposure to the HIV virus by whatever means, the Service Provider provides the necessary screening and medication to prevent infection, free of charge.

As part of the package, the Service Provider supplies information brochures and updates on issues relating to HIV/AIDS to educate staff and create greater awareness of prevention of the disease and/or its management.

Intervet has a research and development facility on a farm some 400km from Johannesburg.  Due to the lack of medical facilities in this rural area problems are experienced in getting the required medical attention and drugs to members of this rural community.

In order to overcome this obstacle the Service Provider has contracted (at a fee) the services of the local government clinic staff to ensure that our staff members’ needs are seen to. The clinic staff receive the anti-retroviral drugs on behalf of the Intervet employee and are required to ensure that the anti-retroviral drugs are taken correctly. Regular blood tests are carried out to ensure that all requirements are being met and adhered to, as per the contract. 

Many South Africans are not educated in taking the correct nutrition, which is especially relevant in the light of the need for an HIV positive person to eat a balanced diet and to consume the necessary vitamins. The Service Provider, as part of the service, provides special nutritional packs to augment their diet. Should an employee’s access to correct nutrition be challenged in any way, these special nutritional packs are provided on a monthly basis to those employees in need.

The Intervet HIV/Aids program aims to educate and prevent our employees and their families from contracting HIV/AIDS, and to prolong and improve their quality of life should they become infected with the disease.