Health drive for farm workers
Campaign in citrus sector modelled on motor industry plan
WITH one in four farm workers in the Cacadu district believed to be HIV-positive, the Sunday’s River Citrus Company (SRCC) has started a wellness programme in the region.
The programme is aimed at improving the health of farm workers in Addo and Kirkwood to reduce the financial impact on farms and processing plants caused by the loss of productivity, loss of qualified staff and absenteeism related to ill-health.
An extension of the wellness management programme implemented among workers in the province’s automotive sector, the SRCC signed a memorandum of understanding with the Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape (AIDC EC) to initially reach 630 workers at five of the SRCC’s partner farms.
The last of this programme’s wellness days will be held tomorrow in the Kirkwood district.
Based on recent statistics from the Department of Health, the AIDC EC estimates that 25% of all farm workers in the Cacadu District are HIV-positive.
AIDC EC wellness programme manager Arnelle Heynes said there was no overnight solution to this problem, and that the SRCC’s voluntary programme was offered in conjunction with other health services.
The programme includes HIV counselling and testing (HCT), glucose and hypertension tests, body mass index (BMI) and TB screening.
“Basic knowledge on prevention and transmission of HIV and Aids and, in particular, tuberculosis [TB], which results in months-long absenteeism or death, despite [TB] being curable, is lacking in agricultural communities.
“As a driving economic force in the Eastern Cape, agriculture plays a major role in the continued development of the province, yet serious health conditions prominent in agricultural communities place a high financial burden on the sector.”
She said taking the award-winning AIDC’s wellness programme from the automotive sector to agriculture, was a “natural progression and use of its resources” and that the AIDC EC was in consultation with various stakeholders to continue offering the services to
‘ Serious health conditions place a high burden on the sector
the agricultural sector in future.
Heynes said the SRCC programme was different to the typical automotive sector wellness programme offered at firms such as Volkswagen Group SA and General Motors SA. This was because there were limited health services in some of the more rural parts of the Addo and Kirkwood region, the educational levels of farm workers were lower than those in automotive factories, and farm workers had a bigger prevalence of high-risk social behaviour.
The SA National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca) took part in the programme, and briefed workers on the dangers of substance abuse.
Director Zarina Ghulam said alcoholism among the province’s farm workers was at 40%.
“Awareness is our first priority in the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse,” she said.
Siyathemba Farm peer educator Unathi Cedze said it was important for workers to be educated about their own health and the risks surrounding substance abuse, HIV and Aids and an unhealthy lifestyle.
SRCC director of transformation and development Ken Nieuwenhuizen said it was important for the citrus company to come on board with the wellness programme because a farm worker’s good health was a valuable asset.
“We want to offer all the precautions to our employees and producers, as well as make all the necessary facilities available to them,” he said.