Mining giant Anglo American on Monday announced a R30-million community partnership project to help accelerate the provision of comprehensive HIV/Aids services in about 200 public clinics, especially those in rural areas.
In addition, the Anglo American HIV/Aids Community Partnership Project is to receive R10-million a year from the Nelson Mandela Foundation, $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.
Anglo American senior vice-president Dr Brian Brink told reporters in Johannesburg that the Anglo American Chairman’s Fund would give the money to loveLife 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,” he said.
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 help build capacity in public-sector primary health-care clinics.
The overall goal would be to enhance the health-sector 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 with the disease.”
He said specific attention would be paid to the special needs of the youth through the loveLife adolescent-friendly clinic programme.
The community partnership project would build on the national adolescent friendly clinic initiative programme, which was developed and carried out by loveLife with the assistance of the government.
”loveLife has successfully piloted the adolescent friendly approach in more than 60 clinics to date,” he 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 900 in three years.”
Speaking via a video link from Geneva, 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 NGOs.
”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 said.
Brink said Anglo American has its own anti-retroviral treatment programme that is assisting an estimated 30 000 HIV-infected employees.
An additional 757 workers were on treatment at the end of September.
The programme commenced late last year and has 58 delivery registered sites, which boast 59 doctors, 137 trained nurses and 40 counsellors.
Since the programme started, 97% of employees on anti-retroviral treatment were back at work. At least 89% of these patients showed good viral suppression, Brink said. — Sapa