Treatment of HIV/AIDS at South Africa's largest employers: myth and reality
Date
2005-06
DOI
Authors
Connelly, Patrick
Rosen, Sydney
Version
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In the past three years, many large employers in South Africa have announced
publicly their intention of making antiretroviral treatment (ART) available to employees.
Reports of the scope and success of these programs have been mostly anecdotal. This study
surveyed the largest private sector employers in South Africa to determine the proportion of
employees with access to ART through employer-sponsored HIV/AIDS treatment programs.
METHODS: All 64 private sector and parastatal employers in South Africa with more than 6,000
employees were identified and contacted. Those that agreed to participate were interviewed by
telephone using a structured questionnaire.
RESULTS: 52 companies agreed to participate. Among these companies, 63% of employees had
access to employer-sponsored care and treatment for HIV/AIDS. Access varied widely by
sector, however. Approximately 27% of suspected HIV-positive employees were enrolled in
HIV/AIDS disease management programs, or 4.4% of the workforce overall. Fewer than 4,000
employees in the entire sample were receiving antiretroviral therapy. In-house (employer)
disease management programs and independent disease management programs achieved higher
uptake of services than did medical aid schemes.
CONCLUSIONS: Publicity by large employers about their treatment programs should be interpreted
cautiously. While there is a high level of access to treatment, uptake of services is low and only
a small fraction of employees medically eligible for antiretroviral therapy are receiving it.
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