WHEN it comes to personal health, there should be no discrimination and no stigma if a person is tested positive for tuberculosis and/or HIV/Aids.
These were the words of Zululand Anthracite Colliery (ZAC) managing director Niels Kristensen at the company’s World Aids Day commemoration event.
He paid tribute to people living healthy lives despite being tested positive for HIV/Aids.
‘Our theme for this year’s celebration and acknowledgement of people living with HIV/Aids is ‘No Stigma, No Discrimination’, and we call on everyone to be tested and know their status.’
Run in conjunction with the Department of Health, the event was hosted so that ZAC staff, as well as community members from the four traditional areas in which ZAC operates, would have the opportunity to be counselled and tested for HIV/Aids, TB, blood pressure and blood sugar.
District Health Manager, Daphne Memela said screening for high blood pressure and high blood sugar helped identify people who were not aware that they had these potential health hazards.
Peer pressure
Memela cautioned that youngsters should not bow to peer pressure and must take care of their own health and that of their family by making wise choices.
This theme was taken up by motivational speaker, Pastor Sithembiso Zondo, directing his message to the youth at the event.
On loss of character, Zondo said: ‘we are all the result of the friends and the decisions we make’.
‘Don’t allow a fool to kiss you, nor a kiss to fool you, make sure you make the right choice.’
Reaffirming the mine’s commitment to assisting the four communities in which ZAC operates, Dr Vusi Nhlapo, Principle Advisor for Health at Rio Tinto and a member of the Mining Professionals Association, said the mining sector would continue to work in partnership with government to assist communities to address their health issues.
‘There are programmes in place to assist with the prevention and spread of TB, which is the most common cause of death in South Africa.
‘This is not normally a fatal disease in a healthy person, but for an individual with decreased immunity due to HIV/Aids, it can be fatal.’
