Botswana diamond company to subsidise AIDS drugs for staff
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March 07, 2001, 12:23 PM
Botswana's biggest diamond company, Debswana, says it will pay 90 %
of the cost of anti-retroviral treatment for its employees and their
spouses with HIV/AIDS. The decision, which does not include children
or other dependants, will take effect immediately, local newspapers
reported. At least half the natural deaths in Botswana are from AIDS
related diseases, Botswana President Festus Mogae said in November.
Botswana has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world,
with one in three of the economically active population HIV positive.
Debswana, which employs about 6,000 people, estimates its infection
rates to be in line with national figures.
"To extend employees' productive lives, the company will subsidise
the cost of anti-retroviral drugs and the related monitoring of viral
loads," Debswana said in a statement.
"The company will pay 90% of these costs for the employee and one le-
gally married spouse who is HIV-positive for as long as the employee
remains with Debswana," the company said.
Debswana, a partnership shared equally between the Botswana govern-
ment and diamond giant De Beers Centenary, has three mines in the
country. Botswana is the world's biggest producer of diamonds by
value. Diamond revenues account for some 80% of the country's export
earnings and one third of its gross domestic product. -AFP
Article printout courtesy of the South African Broadcasting Corpora-
tion.
Copyright (c) 2001 SABC.
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reprinted under fair use by
Christian Labadie
mailto:CLabadie@t-online.de
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