The ninth wellness centre aimed at preventing the spread of HIV/Aids among truck drivers is due to open before year-end.

The centre, to be located at Mooi River, will cost R80 000 to set up and R11 000 a month to run, excluding medication and a nursing sister.

Each night an anticipated 30 drivers will make use of its services.

Engineering News spoke to the Trucking Against Aids chairperson and the executive member of the employers’ association at the bargaining council, Louis Hollander, about the clinics.

“Within the road freight industry we have a national bargaining council that consists of six unions and an employers’ association.” In 1999 the bargaining council took the decision to implement a plan of action to combat the spread of HIV/Aids.

Former Minister of Transport Mac Maharaj determined that the transport sector must act, as truck drivers can spread the virus beyond South Africa’s borders.

In 1999 the bargaining council appointed three trainers to train peer-educators throughout the country; the peer-educators then trained other people about the virus.

After this phase it became clear that more effort would have to go into the programme as truck drivers started getting ill.

Operation Hotspot was started with the assistance of The Learning Clinic to manage the project.

“The project did surveys to determine where drivers were sleeping over.” These high-risk areas then received mobile clinics and training centres were set up. “The first clinic was two containers at Beaufort West in 2000, and it was cosponsored by the bargaining council and the Eastern Cape Department of Health.” The clinic operates from 17:00 to 24:00 and is staffed by a nursing sister and a training coordinator.

The next clinics opened up in Harrismith and Beitbridge in 2001, followed by Ventersburg, Port Elizabeth and Tugela Trucker Inn in 2002. Last year Komatipoort and New Hanover were opened up and there is also a mobile clinic to assist drivers at toll-gates.

Initially, drivers were sceptical but they have now embraced the clinics after realising that confidentiality is maintained.

Confidentiality is ensured, as each driver is identified by a number that is unique.

This also ensures that medication is not repeated unnecessarily, as records are kept, downloaded onto a database and given to the other eight clinics currently in operation.

The clinics do not only focus on HIV/Aids but also on the general health of drivers, including treating them for sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs).

Sex workers also receive treatment and education at the clinic, says Hollander.

Hollander says the success of the trainer is measured by how many drivers go for testing and counselling.

“We have seen a large drop in STDs since 2000.” The Road Freight Association with its Focus Against Aids is working in partnership with the bargaining council.

A year ago, all the roleplayers presented what campaigns they were involved in to each other.

From that meeting it was decided to put a strategy in place to approach various issues including dealing with the epidemic, education, training, treatment and aftercare.

The industry spent six months searching for a partner; Right to Care was chosen and has since received funds from the Bush administration, in the US.

Currently on the table is an agreement with all the stakeholders that a one per cent levy will be imposed on employers and employees to fund the programme’s expansion.

This plan was to be drafted early this month before being sent to the Department of Labour for promulgation, but Hollander says there is agreement to the plan in principle.

He expects it to be implemented within three months.

Sustainability and further roll-out would not be possible without assistance from the corporate sector; several companies have donated funds to allow the clinics to function.

Between 2000 and 2003 36 571 people have been to the clinics, 15 817 were treated for STDs and 2,5-million condoms have been handed out.

The Federation of East and Southern African Road Trans-port Associations (Fesarta) would like to see the initiative spread further than just South Africa.

Executive officer Barney Curtis believes that trucking routes can inevitably be Aids routes.

“We are looking at ways to extend the successful South African road freight industry’s HIV/Aids project, Trucking Against Aids, into the rest of Southern Africa.” It has submitted a proposal to extend the initiative to the Swedish donor agency, but to date has not had a reply. “The World Bank sub-Saharan African Transport Policy Programme (Ssatp) has taken note of our concerns and is now supporting initiatives along the corridors.” “The details of these initiatives still have to be worked out, but it is encouraging that we now have the support of the World Bank Ssatp.” Fesarta intends approaching the Ssatp to pick up on the proposal made to the Swedish aid agency.

“We believe that some significant regional interventions will be started within the next six months.”