24 Jul 2013

Botswana Business Coalition for AIDS programmes manager, Mr Frank Phatshwane has decried lack of donor funding for HIV/AIDS in recent years.

Mr Phatshwane told a five-day wellness workshop for the department of labour and social security trainees for 62 registered trade unions in Francistown.

The workshop provided a forum for trade unions to share information and ideas on wellness and HIV/AIDS issues affecting workers. Mr Phatshwane said the decline in donors would made things difficult for the government as it would be expensive to source funds for drugs to address the increasing numbers of infections. 

He encouraged the unions to include HIV/AIDS prevention strategies in their policies. “HIV and AIDS is a human rights issue, which must be taken seriously, as such a concerned union must show concern about the health of its employees” said Mr Phatshwane.

For his part, Tati Nickel public relations manager,  Mr Tebogo Rapitsenyane said  trade unions were a closet organ to employees, hence the need to focus and disseminate information on workers’ health. Mr Rapitsenyane said most workers were of 15-49 age groups and still sexually active and as a result, HIV/AIDS was a major challenge that they were facing.

He said the issue of stigma on people living with AIDS needed to be addressed, adding that some people tended to stay away from work with fear of being stigmatised.

Botswana Diamond Workers Union, organising branch secretary, Mr Mooketsi Kelapile said their union gave wellness issues first priority. He said they held monthly wellness sessions to sensitise their members on health issues.

Mr Kelapile highlighted that workshops and events, which included fitness walks and HIV testing were done. They also had wellness managers and clinic that catered for union members’ welfare.

Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) staff union, assistant general secretary, Mr David Adome said their union was drafting an HIV/AIDS prevention policy because they had realised that their wellness policy was too general.

Mr Adome said HIV/AIDS was a sensitive topic, which needed to be given priority and they had found it fit to have an HIV/AIDS policy. ENDS