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SUB CATEGORIES General  |  HIV |  Medical Schemes | 

Tackling Tuberculosis: How businesses in South Africa can respond

14 March 2012 Andre Jacobs, Business Unit Head of Healthcare at Aon Hewitt South Africa
Andre Jacobs, Business Unit Head of Healthcare at Aon Hewitt South Africa

Andre Jacobs, Business Unit Head of Healthcare at Aon Hewitt South Africa

World Tuberculosis (TB) month, commemorated throughout March, is a timely reminder for businesses in South Africa – which are affected by this disease on a daily basis – of the approximately 400 000 South Africans living with TB. According to Andre Jacobs

According to the World Economic Forum, which commissioned a study in 130 countries which reviews the opinions of 11000 business leaders, one third of respondent business leaders expect TB to negatively affect their business in the next five years. In Sub-Saharan Africa, nearly two thirds of business leaders indicated that TB will severely affect their business. Jacobs says further to that, the South African incidence rate per 100000 population increased from 229 in 1990 to a staggering 720 in 2006.

He explains that as 75% of South Africans living with TB are aged between 15 and 54, the county’s productive labour force is most affected by the disease. “TB negatively affects businesses by increasing the absenteeism rate by a startling amount, reducing labour productivity, increasing recruitment and replacement costs and weakening the pool of human capital available to businesses.”

Jacobs says that TB robs companies of valuable employees and if left untreated, the disease will easily spread and affect other employees, increasing absenteeism and severely affecting the profitability of the company. He explains that if left untreated, one TB patient can infect 10 to 15 other people per annum. “Businesses can benefit economically by assessing the risk of TB in their communities, protecting their employees from TB, and ensuring that when infected with TB employees receive prompt quality care.

“A programme that addresses local and societal issues, whereby the employer works along with their employees, healthcare providers, government, organised labour and civil society, has a great chance of success.”

He explains that TB is a Prescribed Minimum Benefit (PMB) in terms of the Medical Schemes Act, which means that medical schemes are compelled to fund the diagnoses, care and treatment of TB at no cost to the member of the medical scheme or to the employer. “However, members and employers must know that medical schemes are allowed to restrict the treatment and care in such a manner as to save money, and are also allowed to fund treatment in full only if their specific providers are used. This said, if the treatment is ineffective, the medical scheme is compelled to provide alternative treatment at no additional cost to the member.”

Jacobs says that the Global Health Initiative suggests business adopt key principles in response to TB, namely:

· Recognition that TB is a workplace disease;

· Create awareness around TB;

· Establish non-discrimination policies in terms of people diagnosed with TB;

· Respect the individual’s confidentiality;

· Work along with the National TB Control programme;

· Monitor programme results;

· Report on the results and keep management responsible for the outcomes of the programme in the workforce;

· Develop a trusted and sustainable network of TB programme partners;

· Link TB programmes to HIV programmes.

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