�NCDs make up 37% of deaths in Botswana�

Onalenna Kelebeile | Wednesday December 10, 2014 15:02

 

Speaking during the BCL mine’s Wellness Fair in Selebi-Phikwe over the weekend, Gaborone said that for some time now, the world has been focused on HIV/AIDS and almost neglecting non- communicable diseases in the process.

He added that 18 percent of these deaths are due to cardiovascular diseases, eight percent due to injuries while five percent is due to cancers; four percent due to diabetes and two percent to chronic respiratory diseases.

He added that Botswana has just concluded a nation-wide survey that will update WHO on the latest situation.

“The undeniable fact is that non-communicable diseases have become the world’s biggest killer and a major challenge to development,” he said.  Gaborone noted that the rapidly increasing burden of these diseases is affecting poor and disadvantaged populations disproportionately, contributing to widening health and quality of life inequalities.

“It also weighs heavily on businesses and national economies as productivity goes down, absenteeism and insurance claims go up,” he said. He noted that WHO is very encouraged by the proactive measures taken by corporations, such as what BCL is doing.

“We believe that it is only when everybody makes a contribution that we can reverse the damage these diseases are doing to us.

“We commend BCL for not only looking after the wellbeing of its staff but for promotion of health,” he added.

He further said WHO and the rest of the United Nations family have made a commitment to encourage and support stakeholder efforts and partnerships between governments and corporates towards non-communicable disease prevention and control.

Meanwhile, BCL mine has successful completed an employee wellness survey through the assistance of the National AIDS Coordinating Agency (NACA) and the results are expected before the end of the year.

HIV/AIDS Wellness Superintendent, Emmanuel Siamisang, said the survey is a twin approach to general wellbeing and behavioural impact survey on HIV. Siamisang viewed the exercise as a milestone in promoting voluntary testing and counseling at the workplace.

He was speaking during the recent National Launch of Voluntary Counselling and Testing at work. Past surveys have shown that out of the total workforce of 4, 200 BCL mine employees, 86 percent of them know their HIV status thanks to the robust programmes such as wellness campaigns; know your status and voluntary counselling and testing.

Siamisang added that BCL continues to enjoy a cordial relationship with non-governmental organisations like Makgabaneng, NACA and Tebelopele.  He observed that this cooperation has seen BCL contributing immensely to the wellbeing of the town of Selebi-Phikwe through participating in health and wellness stalls, provision of HIV testing during softball games.  He added that the initiative has been extended to the surrounding villages.

The company has also adopted some of the junior community schools in Selebi-Phikwe, Bobonong and Mogapi through training students in peer education programme.

“A healthy community will greatly reduce the health bill of this country that threatens to spiral out of control due to ailments such as HIV/AIDS and other opportunistic infections,” he added.

Siamisang noted that BCL was not spared from HIV infection, the rising sickness rate and deaths resulting from HIV and this called for the company to come up with strategies of combating the virus.

In 2003 BCL established a unit which focused on counselling and testing, promoting healthy behaviour through peer education programmes and referral to government clinics for ARV enrolment.  “Following the establishment of the unit, structures and policy supporting national strategic framework and UNAIDS were developed.  “The national strategic framework by NACA called for the private sector to implement activities that support HIV prevention in the workplace. “Through consultations, BCL then developed a corporate strategy on HIV/AIDS programme” he said.

He emphasised that BCL places high value on its employees and the HIV/AIDS strategy clearly supports the initiative.

The Wellness Superintendent further indicated that the increase in prevalence of non-communicable diseases, coupled with work demands and changes in life cycle, prompted BCL to adopt the employee wellness programme.

The programme is an extension of the HIV programme, which covers other chronic diseases.  “This programme further offers other dimensions of wellness such as financial wellness, psychosocial support programme, ergonomics, health promotion as well as research in HIV/AIDS,” he added.