Mining Firm Gold Fields Launches Program Offering Antiretroviral Treatment to Employees

Mining company Gold Fields yesterday launched a new program offering antiretroviral treatment to its HIV-positive employees in South Africa, the South African Press Association reports. Under the "Wellness Management Program," employees will receive voluntary HIV testing and counseling. Employees who test positive for HIV will have access to "close and regular monitoring, counseling and treatment" through the testing and care centers established at all Gold Fields sites, company spokesperson Willie Jacobsz said. The program is a joint effort between the company and several labor unions (South African Press Association, 8/13). The announcement comes one day after diamond mining company De Beers announced that it will subsidize 90% of the cost of antiretroviral medications for its 11,000 employees and their spouses in South Africa. Last week, mining conglomerate Anglo American, which owns a stake in De Beers, announced that it would provide antiretroviral treatment to all of its HIV-positive employees in southern Africa who are not already receiving treatment under current medical plans (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 8/12).