The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Industry should "fight against AIDS"

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 31, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Industry should "fight against AIDS"

Staff Reporter

The disease blighted many firms in Africa, say officials

HEALTH CARE: Prabhat Pani, co-chairman, CSR sub-committee of CII southern region (right), addressing a meeting in Chennai on Thursday. Looking on are Ranjith Pisharoty, convenor of CII Tamil Nadu's panel on IT and BPO (centre) and Ian Woolley of Mona sh Medical Centre, Australia. — Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

CHENNAI: There is more at stake for industry in its fight against HIV/AIDS than merely as another, but important, component of its corporate social responsibility since an overwhelming majority of those infected with the virus are in the working age group.

Driving home this message, senior officials of the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Prevention and Control Society (TANSACS) cautioned the corporate sector to take lessons from Africa where many companies saw their bottom line plunge under the impact of HIV. Sudden and frequent absentism, lower productivity, high overtime payouts to other workers, a five-fold increase in the spending on funerals and more expenditure on healthcare were the consequences. Hence, Indian industry must be encouraged to undertake AIDS prevention activities, Deputy Director (STD) of the Society M. Balasubramanian told a `train the trainer programme,' for corporate medical doctors, held at the Confederation of Indian Industry office here on Thursday. The two-day programme is being sponsored by The Hindu .

Addressing the capacity building clinical care training programme, organised by the CII's Indian Business Trust for HIV/AIDS with the Australia India Council, he said industrial units should evolve workplace intervention programmes for employees. Ninety per cent of HIV/AIDS prevalence was in the sexually active age groups that also synchronised with economically productive age "that is your work force."

Some common features of the new recruits that shape their behavioural aspects are their migration from rural areas (for the job), relative isolation from the family and geographical social mobility, long working hours and growth in disposable income. These foster casual sexual relationship and make them highly vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases/HIV/AIDS.

Ian Woolley, Deputy Director, Department of Infectious Disease of Monash Medical Centre, Australia, said that at the end of last year, 40.3 million were infected with HIV world over. As per the projections, the number was expected to touch one billion by 2020.

Ranjith Pisharoty, convenor of CII Tamil Nadu's panel on IT and BPO, listed the initiatives taken by the industry body to prevent HIV/AIDS.

Prabhat Pani, co-chairman, CSR sub-committee of CII southern region, said the responsibility of industry was clear. Unless controlled and prevented, HIV/AIDS could destroy the industry and civil society. "This is one war where there can be only one winner."

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