The
Namibian private sector has pooled together a fund that will extend medical
cover to HIV-infected employees from the lowest paid ranks. The fund has
attracted the attention of international non-governmental organisation,
PharmAccess Foundation. The fund was pooled together by various medical aid
funds and interested private companies have joined with the aim of giving
coverage to their poorly paid workers who would otherwise never afford medical
aid coverage and let alone, HIV treatment. PharmAccess Foundation will be
subsidising the additional premium, said Prof Joep Lange the chairman of the
foundation, who was in Namibia recently. HIV infected employees earning as
little as N$1000 per month (the highest paid employee allowed to join the fund
must not earn more than N$4500 per month) have a future beyond the immediate
shock of knowing one’s status. Called the “Health is Vital risk equalisation
fund” it makes it possible for every infected person to lead a relatively normal
life by helping them access affordable anti-retroviral drugs, hospitalisation,
and primary health care at a low cost. The costs are so low that the premium
payments into the medical aid fund are between 18% for those earning N$1000 per
month and a mere 7% for those earning N$4500 per month. This translates into a
lowest monthly premium payment of N$150 and a highest monthly premium payment of
about N$300 per month. In addition companies that have joined the fund will
contribute monthly premiums of between 25% and 50%. HIV/AIDS is no longer
regarded by the medical profession as a life threatening condition, provided
patients have access to and can afford anti-retroviral medication. The
availability of so-called ARVs has turned HIV/AIDS into what medical doctors
describe as a manageable condition, similar to cancer and other life-threatening
diseases. “The lack of HIV/AIDS management has a significant impact on companies
overall performance. What we found is that as a result there is absenteeism due
to illness, lack of concentration, low morale, and all those things leads to low
productivity, poor business performance and at the end of the day less profit,”
said Berthold Mukuahima, director for human capital at Ohlthaver & List
Group of Companies (O&L), one of the largest private sector employers that
have joined the fund. By introducing insurance cover for HIV/AIDS patients,
PharmAccess is helping, through the medical aid funds, to make ARVs affordable
and available to at least a part of the population, said Lange. Large life
insurance companies are reluctant to provide cover for HIV/AIDS infected people
because of the risk involved. But players in the medical aid industry such as
Prosperity Medical Group and My Health Administrator are taking advantage of
this niche market. The two are the engine behind the Health is Vital risk
equalisation fund. “Beneficiaries are given access to basic health care benefits
for hospitalisation and day to day medical expenses including treatment for
HIV/AIDS,” said chairman of the fund, Gabriel Mbapaha. Beneficiaries can claim
up to N$10000 per month for medical treatments on basic health care, including
optical treatment, consultations with general practitioners and specialists, and
medical drugs including vitamins and supplements. They are also given unlimited
claims for any hospitalisation in selected hospitals and ambulance services. In
addition they are given an annual limit of N$100,000 for HIV treatment,
including counselling, consultation with doctors, medication and anti-retroviral
medication worth N$25000. The group has also signed up such employers as Agra
Co-operative and Lev Leviev Diamonds. Larger employers have been on the look out
for medical aids on HIV/AIDS because of the impact the disease has had on the
work force, said Mukuahima.