Illovo Sugar employs over 12,030 permanent and around 24,000 seasonal employees making 1.9 million tonnes of sugar this year. Situated in Africa, healthcare for our people and those who depend upon them is a top priority for our managers due to the risks of contracting HIV, malaria or tuberculosis.
Access to healthcare is provided to all employees and their dependants, either through the network of group-run primary healthcare clinics and hospitals or through the provision of medical insurance schemes. Where no other public medical facilities exist, these services are extended to members of surrounding communities. Illovo operates 24 primary healthcare clinics and four hospitals. These facilities are staffed by 16 doctors, 150 nurses and other qualified medical staff, and 135 auxiliary personnel, providing a service to approximately 32,000 employees and their 70,000 dependants. During the past year, there were approximately 560,000 patient visits to the group’s healthcare facilities.
Illovo attempts to ensure the health of employees and their dependants by addressing public health services not provided by governments, such as the provision of potable water, sanitation and refuse removal, where deficient.
Occupational health is an important facet of the medical services delivered at every site. Qualified nursing practitioners perform duties that include regular job-related medical examinations, along with medical surveillance, such as hearing and lung-function testing and biological monitoring of employees, in line with the health and safety regulations of the respective countries of operation.
Illovo continues to take a proactive stance against life-threatening conditions such as HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis (TB). These diseases are being managed, largely on a preventative basis, to negate their impact on employees and on the business.
HIV/Aids Δ
Strategies directed at controlling the spread of HIV/Aids include preventative awareness programmes along with an established in-house wellness programme for those afflicted. They involve ongoing high-profile education and awareness campaigns, effective treatment and prevention of sexually transmitted infections in the process of preventative activities and education, voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), use of prophylactic antibiotics, and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.
Illovo continues to campaign for employees and their dependants to ‘get to know their status’ and in this regard, has set a target to test 50% of all employees annually. A further target has been set to ensure that at least 50% of HIV positive employees join the wellness programme.
Malaria and tuberculosis
In respect of malaria, the group subscribes to the African continent’s recognised ‘roll back’ malaria programme, with mosquito control spray programmes and the distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets to the areas most affected. In the case of TB, the group works closely with national programmes and assists with the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of TB cases where appropriate. Progress includes:
- in 2010, there were 169 cases of TB within Illovo, down from 183 in 2009 and 243 in 2008. The reduction is very encouraging, showing the success of the wellness programme;
- since 2006 there have been 7,800 fewer cases of malaria within the Illovo workforce, with the largest decrease of 3,800 cases being in Mozambique; and
- overall in 2010 Illovo spent £2.9m on direct healthcare costs and £980,000 on medical aid.