breakfast meeting with business on tuberculosis, Johannesburg
4 August 2006
Honoured Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning
I would like to thank all of you for making time to meet with us this
morning to discuss this very important issue of tuberculosis (TB).
Most people within the business sector have generally accepted that the
health and well-being of their workforce is critical to the development and
growth of a business. Hence, most companies are investing in providing employee
wellness programmes, medical aid, housing and other social support to
employees. Health is also an important area for consideration when companies
implement their social responsibility programmes.
TB is a major public health problem particularly on the African continent.
Some of you may be aware that the World Health Organisationâs (WHO) Afro
Regional Committee meeting held in Maputo last year that resolved to declare TB
an emergency in Africa. African Health Ministers committed to put more
resources in responding to the challenge of TB on the continent.
In South Africa, we responded to this resolution by developing the National
TB Crisis Management Plan which has been presented to you this morning. I would
therefore not go into detail about this Plan.
We recorded about 300 000 new cases of TB last year and most of the affected
are people in the most productive age groups. Many workers are vulnerable to TB
both in their communities and at the workplace and this has serious
implications for any business. A sick worker means disrupted workflow, reduced
productivity and weeks or months of absence from work.
According to the Stop TB Initiative, a TB patient can lose an average of
three to four months of work time which translates to between 20-30% of the
patientâs annual income lost. And about 15 years of income is lost due to
premature death.
In its Guidelines on Workplace TB Control Activities, the World Health
Organisation argues that the macroeconomic impact of TB should be considered
not only in terms of how it affects a countryâs per capita Gross Domestic
Product, but also in the manner in which the disease affects the lifespan and
lifetime earnings lost by society. WHO estimates, that at global level, TB
leads to a decline in worker productivity to the order of US$12 billion (about
R72 billion) annually.
It is clear that TB control cannot just be viewed as a social imperative,
but failure to act has serious economic implications. I am glad that industries
with relatively high prevalence of TB like the mining sector are making some
interventions against TB.
Workplaces provide a good setting for TB management and TB interventions
benefit both the employer and the employee. For employees, the workplace is a
convenient setting to gain awareness about TB and receiving support when taking
treatment. For employers, TB control can save costs (through reduced
absenteeism and staff turnover) and reduce the possibility of TB transmission
within the workforce.
Government is providing free diagnosis and treatment for TB patients who
visit our facilities. While these services are generally accessible, the two
major challenges are lack of awareness about TB symptoms and the failure of TB
patients to complete treatment.
A lack of awareness about TB, results in people presenting themselves late
to our facilities. By the time a diagnosis is made, a number of people have
been exposed to infection. In an effort to improve the detection rate, we are
increasing awareness through an intensive social mobilisation and communication
campaign. The campaign focuses on raising awareness about symptoms, encourages
early diagnosis and supports treatment compliance.
The main challenge is to encourage patients to complete their treatment. TB
is curable even in the presence of HIV and AIDS. Success or failure is
determined by the patientâs ability to complete the treatment.
There are many factors contributing to a patientâs failure to complete
treatment. A general lack of treatment compliance culture, high levels of
poverty and food insecurity as well as lack of support within families,
communities and at the workplace are some of these factors.
Improving the working conditions should include the improvement of health
and safety of employee not only in relation to occupational injuries but should
also include interventions against infectious diseases. We need routine
screening in high risk situations such as the mines and contact screening
programmes for fellow employees who have been exposed to a person with
infectious TB.
We need to invest in improving general living conditions of employees
because, as you know, overcrowding and bad living conditions are some of the
factors increasing the spread of TB. We need to be innovative and establish
public private partnerships in the provision of care to TB patients and
strengthen the existing initiatives.
I would like to call upon all companies represented here this morning to
join us in the fight against TB. With each one you identifying a role you can
play, we can collectively make a significant impact in addressing the challenge
of TB in our country.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Health
4 August 2006
