Scalable and innovative on-site and telemedicine services can evolve with a mining company’s project life cycle to help manage health at every stage, says global medical and security assistance provider International SOS Africa regional medical director Dr Fanie Jute.

International SOS can provide the appropriate and effective range of health services at mine sites, based on specific needs and regulatory requirements. These services include staffing solutions and back-end reporting systems, as well as management and quality systems, to ensure health services maintain a high standard.

The company also offers telemedicine solutions so that medical staff on site – such as doctors, paramedics or nurses – can benefit from enhanced medical capability and improved management of off-site referrals.

International SOS’s solutions are customised and its approach is consultative. The company provides health-impact and health-risk assessments, consulting for mines in all phases, including exploration, feasibility, operation and rehabilitation.

Jute explains that a greenfield environment, for example, may initially need only basic telemedicine capability. As the project matures, the scope of services may also include occupational health, primary, emergency health and public health services. International SOS then reassesses the needs of the client and its workforce and proposes the most appropriate support at every stage.

Meanwhile, managing health and implementing programmes that promote health can lead to a return on investment for mining operations and assist mining companies in delivering on their sustainability commitments.

He notes that the company’s services could, for example, potentially mitigate the need to evacuate a patient off site, as well as support a healthy workforce, subsequently promoting productivity and the sustainability of business projects.

Private companies have a responsibility to support their workforce and International SOS is well positioned to support mining companies to drive health initiatives, Jute adds.

NCDs
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease, cancers, respiratory disease, diabetes and mental health, are the world’s leading cause of death and disability, with the heaviest burden concentrated in low and middle income countries. NCDs are a risk not only to employees’ health, but place a heavy burden on health systems given the complex management and long-term treatment required.

NCDs could be overlooked, as mines’ budgets may often focus on mitigating short- to medium-term risks; however, putting programmes in place that successfully reduce NCD risk factors not only protects the health of the workforce and community, but has been shown to contribute significantly to the triple bottom line.

Jute points out that International SOS has a successful track record of assisting mines in implementing health initiatives that have been proven to mitigate some of the risk of factors linked to NCDs. For example, to reduce smoking, the number one cause of cardiovascular disease, the company has extensive experience in implementing smoking cessation programmes at mine sites around the world.

According to intergovernmental organisation United Nations (UN) health agency, the World Health Organisation, the number of NCD cases is expected to rise steadily within the African continent in the next decade. Jute says understanding current and forecast NCD risks is key to any mining operation and adds that International SOS can analyse data and health trends to assist companies in preventing NCDs, therefore ensuring business continuity for years to come.

Indaba
To help inform mines about proper health-risk assessments, and the services and solutions International SOS offers, the company will exhibit at the Investing in African Mining Indaba from February 4 to 7 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

International SOS continues to witness a progressive adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and various sustainability reporting tools by its clients as a result of investor pressure. As such, International SOS’s health and safety solutions are increasingly formatted operationally to match the sustainability agenda of its mining clients.

“It is key for us to help clients and potential clients understand the value-add we can offer through our medical and security services to achieve their sustainability goals.”

International SOS is also leading in its own industry by embarking on ISO 45001 – which delineates occupation health and safety standards – accreditation, which aligns its health services to the client’s health, safety and environmental management system. Such change focuses on the ‘effectiveness’ of the occupational safety and health system of International SOS’s clients beyond compliance, improving production performance and participation of workers.

Jute highlights that the company understands remote medicine and the challenges that accompany them, extremely well. “As a health partner to our clients, we identify and invest in providing the appropriate support, to protect workers and contribute to mining companies’ success,” he concludes.