Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
|
|
Integrated Regional Information Networks - December 29, 2003
The AIDS Profile Project, undertaken by the University of California San Francisco's AIDS Policy Research Centre, found that despite financial contributions to existing HIV/AIDS interventions, companies were still not doing enough.
"There is largely a paucity of sustained and systematic corporate leadership in providing comprehensive HIV/AIDS programmes for their employees," researchers noted.
According to the report, in September 2003 the Uganda AIDS Commission found that "until now, the corporate response has been rather limited."
The Commission called for the private sector to protect their workforces and their families against the spread of the epidemic, and support their HIV-positive employees.
But some progress has been made. In 2000, the Bank of Uganda began to offer subsidised antiretroviral drugs to its employees and other companies were starting to follow suit.
The Ugandan Business Council on HIV/AIDS was launched in May 2001 to persuade small and large businesses to adopt policies to educate staff on HIV/AIDS and to support workers living with the virus. Earlier this year, the council began implementing its own small treatment programme, the profile said.
Uganda's Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development recommends that companies make condoms available in the workplace and advocates for non-discrimination and confidentiality. The government has also recommended that non-compulsory HIV tests should be freely available.
However businesses are not compelled to implement these recommendations.
The profile also outlined the effects of domestic violence and the country's humanitarian crisis on the epidemic. Conflict had severely weakened Uganda's health services, resulting in a shortage of adequate supplies and clinical equipment.
Despite "far-reaching affirmative action programmes" to promote women, Ugandan women were still vulnerable as many customary and statutory laws still discriminated against them, the report said.
For more information on Uganda's AIDS Profile: http://ari.ucsf.edu/ARI/policy/countries.htm.
The AIDS Profile Project has also developed updated profiles of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
031229
IR031228
Copyright © 2003 - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Integrated Regional Information Network. .
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980 – 2003. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .