The State of Business and HIV/AIDS (2006) - Booz Allen Hamilton

3 Baseline: Current State of Business and AIDS
33
ART is now cheaper
than treatment for other
conditions, such as
hypertension. I tell our
senior executives that
their treatment for high
blood pressure costs more
than treating one of our
employees for HIV/AIDS.
Percentage of companies
71%
African Respondents
45%
Total Group
Figure 19
Respondents Providing
Access to Treatment
for All Registered/
Legal Dependents
Companies interviewed with operations in Africa
report that they can no longer afford not to provide
treatment for HIV/AIDS. One company found that
more than 94 percent of their employees on ART are
able to carry out their normal work. In addition, they
found that in the short-term, the cost of ART is more
than covered by the savings achieved through a
reduction in absenteeism (figure 20), the reduction
in healthcare costs and the retention of skilled
employees, as well as improved productivity.
We found we could lose
employees for up to a month
a year due to funeral leave.
Average Sick Days for Worker
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
ART Start
-12 -6 0 6 12 18
Months Pre-/post-ART Start
Source: Anglo American Report to Society, 2005
Figure 20
Trends in Absenteeism