Benefit for road workers
‘The awareness, testing, treatment and education have to reach all pieces of the puzzle'
WORKERS maintaining national roads can now benefit from a free advisory, counselling and support plan rolled out nationwide since July by the South African National Agency (SANRAL).
The Wellness Programme provides life, health, performance and wellness management services to employees and their immediate families.
SANRAL has appointed service providers who will be responsible for the management of the plan with the assistance of a ‘wellness champion’ on each routine road maintenance site.
The wellness champion will educate employees about HIV/Aids and wellness in the workplace.
In SANRAL’s Eastern Region, which includes KZN and the Free State, the programme has been implemented on various sites including the N2 project near Mtubatuba. An estimated R9-million has been budgeted for expenditure over the next three years on the programme in the region.
‘Peers are able to listen and fully engage through the exchange of ideas, thoughts, views and opinions, free from external prejudice,’ said SANRAL Eastern Region Human Resource Professional, Ntando Ngidi.
‘This makes peer education an extremely powerful and effective channel through which people can act as change agents.’
Ngidi explained the immediate beneficiaries are workers on the routine road maintenance projects.
‘However, SANRAL saw an opportunity to ensure that these benefits are not just limited to the workers, but also to their immediate families. ‘We cannot treat just one piece of a bigger puzzle.
‘The awareness, testing, treatment and education have to reach all pieces of the puzzle.
‘For example if an employee is tested positive for a sexually transmitted infection, then the partner should also be included in the treatment, management and education of that infection.’
‘It will also provide for HIV testing bi-annually and provision is made for family members to be transported to the wellness day venue for education and voluntary testing.
‘Testing for tuberculosis, blood glucose and cholesterol is also provided.’
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