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HEALTH-SRI LANKA: HIV Awareness a Wise Investment for Business
By Feizal Samath
COLOMBO, Nov 27 (IPS) - These days, senior employees of companies in Sri
Lanka's free trade zones not only look over the work of their staff, mostly
women garment workers, but also teach them about health and HIV/AIDS.
This is but one of the many lessons that Sri Lanka is learning from
other countries whose businesses are realising the impact the pandemic has
on their bottom line - and are investing in promoting awareness about
HIV/AIDS and safe sex, or even providing condoms in the workplace.
For instance, the Employers Confederation of Thailand has initiated
workshops on HIV/AIDS and the global jeans manufacturer Levi Strauss & Co
has support groups for people with HIV/AIDS.
In the Philippines, Philacor Corp has become involved in peer education
while the Ngoc Ha Shoe Co in Vietnam provides free condoms and HIV-testing
facilities for workers.
Farther away, Angiogold, a mining company in South Africa, has a pilot
project to provide workers with anti-retroviral therapy, the cost of which
is still beyond the reach of many people living with HIV/AIDS.
Local experts say that Sri Lanka is quite a distance away from having to
what the South African firm did, but add that these examples show the risks
of not paying urgent attention to the pandemic as well as what the private
sector can do about it.
''The private sector needs to know how to manage this situation and
start now because we are in a slightly better position of having a low
prevalence of HIV/AIDS. We have a lot of challenges in this sector,''
Renton de Alwis, secretary general and chief executive officer of the
Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, explained.
He says that companies' involvement in the health of their own human
resources flows from management concepts that the chamber follows, like
competitiveness enhancement with social equity.
The chamber has driven business initiatives in fields of peace,
education, children's needs and now HIV/AIDS, saying there is greater need
for corporate social responsibility.
Health experts say it is never too early to invest in education and
health, because all over the world the AIDS pandemic has had a major impact
on companies and workplaces, not to mention the economy.
Indeed, Dr Iyanthi Abeywickrema, director of the National STD/AIDS
Programme in Sri Lanka, a government agency, said that even in this
low-prevalence country, 82 percent of those with HIV are in the 20 to 49
year-old age group - the most productive years.
Indeed, governments cannot go it alone, say experts who have worked with
business communities around the world.
''There are many companies that have developed strategies to combat
HIV/AIDS and these have helped companies to improve productivity and
efficiency levels,'' said Dr Kare Moen, advisor to the Norway-based Centre
for Health and Social Development (CHSD).
''HIV has a negative influence on the business environment and the
sooner steps are taken to be aware of the problem and reduce its impact on
the workplace, the better it is for companies and their profitability,''
Moen told a workshop here this month organised by the Ceylon Chamber of
Commerce.
In the long run, Moen said, HIV/AIDS has a major on global disposable
incomes, which go down when the affected have to spend lot on drugs.
Savings in society fall, consumer markets shrink, fewer resources are
available for production and investment and high-prevalence countries
record negative economic growth.
Companies then have to spend more on insurance and pensions, and to finance
deaths and funerals, while the frequency of replacing staff gets higher.
''Companies should resort to early intervention strategies which have shown
to be more effective than those who delayed in putting pro-active HIV/AIDS
policies in the workplace,'' he said.
Moen said workplace programmes should include spreading correct
information about the pandemic and risky sexual behaviour to workers, and
putting this high on the company agenda.
Often, this means developing a HIV/AIDS policy, non-discriminatory work
policies, making condoms available, providing diagnosis of sexually
transmitted diseases and treatment, prevention education, counselling and
testing, care and support.
''The most important thing is to recognise HIV/AIDS is a workplace issue
and has implications for business,'' he added.
Abeywickrema agrees, saying that although HIV was reported in Sri Lanka
later than other countries, there should be no complacency in handling the
situation.
Some 250 people have died of HIV/AIDS as of 2001, according to the Joint
U.N. Programme on HIV/AIDS. Some 7,200 people in this country of 19 million
people are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS.
''We expect more people to be affected since the first case was detected
some 10 years ago, it takes that long for symptoms to be evident in those
living with HIV/AIDS,'' she said.
Likewise, Abeywickrema explained: ''Sri Lanka is a low prevalence
country but we are surrounded by high-prevalence countries like India,
Thailand and Myanmar (Burma) and if we are not careful, we could have an
epidemic on our hands.''
In response to the pandemic, the government has begun a social marketing
programme promoting the use of condoms. But as in other developing
countries, many Sri Lankans are still shy about buying condoms. ''We are at
least trying to promote the condom for disease control but still there is a
reluctance,'' she added. (END/2002)
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