Anglo's R30m Aids plan
8 October 2003
Mining giant Anglo American has announced a R30-million community partnership project to help accelerate the provision of comprehensive HIV-Aids services in about 200 of South Africa's public clinics, especially those in rural areas.
According to Business Day, the Anglo American HIV-Aids Community Partnership Project will also receive R10-million a year from the Nelson Mandela Foundation, US$10-million a year from the Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation, and $12-million a year from the Global Fund to fight Aids, TB and Malaria.
Addressing journalists in Johannesburg on Monday, Anglo American senior vice-president Brian Brink said the Anglo American Chairman's Fund will fund loveLife's campaign over a three-year period. loveLife is South Africa's national HIV-prevention programme for the youth.
"We want the fund to accelerate the roll-out of loveLife's national adolescent-friendly clinic
initiative in communities associated with Anglo American operations in South Africa," Brink told Business Day.
The community partnership project forms part of a collaborative effort between Anglo American, the department of health and the three donors.
Brink said the company's operations associated with the identified communities would commit time and expertise to working with loveLife and other partners to held build capacity in public-sector primary healthcare clinics, with the overall aim of enhancing the health sector's response to the pandemic at community level.
"This includes ensuring easy access to comprehensive HIV-prevention services, voluntary counselling and testing for HIV, and enhanced care, support and treatment for those affected by the disease."
He said specific attention will be paid to the special needs of the youth through the loveLife adolescent-friendly clinic programme.
The community partnership project will build on the national
adolescent-friendly clinic initiative programme, which was developed by loveLife with the assistance of the government.
"loveLife has successfully piloted the adolescent-friendly approach in more than 60 clinics to date," Brink said. "With additional funding from the Global Fund, the number of clinics providing comprehensive HIV-Aids services is set to expand to 200 in the next 18 months and to 900 in three years."
Brink said Anglo American has its own anti-retroviral treatment programme that is assisting an estimated 30 000 HIV-infected employees. The programme commenced late last year and has 58 delivery-registered sites boasting 59 doctors, 137 trained nurses and 40 counsellors.
Since the programme started, 97 percent of employees on anti-retroviral treatment had returned to work, Brink said, while at least 89 percent of these patients had shown good viral suppression.
Speaking via a video link from Geneva, Switzerland, Global Fund executive director Richard
Feachem said: "This is an exciting example of how the fund's investment can help leverage in-country partnerships and resources.
"This initiative will provide a strong model in Africa of a nationwide effort to establish comprehensive HIV-Aids services, including prevention, treatment and care in public clinics."
He said the initiative has been made feasible by the South African government's recent commitment to a national Aids treatment programme, and through the bold efforts by Anglo American and a number of the country's non-governmental organisations.
"The convergence of these efforts with South Africa's largest prevention programme raises very promising prospects for the management of the pandemic in the country," Feachem added.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
| 
