Insurance companies told to extend policies to PLWAs

Thursday, Jul 27, 2006

Participants at a workshop have asked insurance companies in Nigeria to put in place a policy that would accommodate people living with HIV and AIDS.

Speaking in Lagos at the weekend at a workshop for business reporters on ‘private sector response to HIV/AIDS, the need for a workplace policy,” the participants said that it was wrong for insurance companies to exclude PLWAs.

They noted that HIV was a condition not different from other diseases, pointing out that such discriminatory attitude would not augur well for the timely eradication of the epidemic. The workshop was organised by the USAID, Internews and the Nigerian Business Coalition Against AIDS (NIBUCCA) .

Participants asked the media to highlight unethical practices meted to PLWAs in their workplace so as to discourage stigmatisation. They also asked the media to continuously relate HIV/AIDS to the business environment, as that would vividly bring out the impact of the epidemic on the economy.

Speaking at the workshop, the Executive Secretary of NIBUCCA, Mr. Olusina Falana said that a workplace policy by companies should address HIV issues decisively

Also speaking, the medical adviser, Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Dr. Dotun Adedeji said that there was the need for the business community to network in the effort to tackle the spread of HIV/AIDS in the business sector.

He said it was disturbing that the productive age group in the economy 15-45 years was gradually being eroded by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Adedeji noted that the HIV/AIDS could no longer be seen as a health issue but rather related to social and business concerns, capable of jeopardising business interests. He said that the right information, education and awareness creation still remain one way of ensuring that the virus is checked.

“We shall continue to seek information in order to educate our staff about the virus, as we have discovered early enough that awareness is needed to persuade people to go for voluntary tests,” he said.

“Staff of the organisation go for voluntary test and once they test positive, they are not abandoned and not stigmatised and are even empowered financially,” he said.

He said the formulation of a work place policy for HIV/AIDS had also led to the enormous support by the management on the issue of HIV/AIDS.

He stated that prevention, especially the use of condom, remained the best approach.