Driving to Better Healthcare

Auto manufacturer Mercedes-Benz SA has stepped up and solidified its long-standing support of HIV prevention efforts among truckers.

"We, like other people in the South Africa transport industry, are very concerned that the once-stable complement of 7,000 truck drivers is now under threat due to the impact of poor health and a shortened life span on the workforce," said Kobus van Zyl, vice president of Mercedes-Benz's commercial vehicle unit. "The effects of HIV/AIDS can be seen in the constant search to replace drivers lost through high absenteeism, disability or death," van Zyl said.

Mercedes-Benz announced a formal partnership with the South African Business Coalition and the trucker-specific HIV prevention outreach Trucking Wellness, which was set up in 1999 as Trucking Against AIDS. The high-profile announcement coincided with October's designation as Transport Month.

Mercedes-Benz last year made a sizable donation to Trucking Wellness' effort to expand targeted HIV prevention initiatives around the country. As part of its work, Trucking Wellness converts panel vans into mobile clinics that offer STD treatment as well as prevention education. In addition, it has helped establish 20 comprehensive wellness centers along trucking routes in all nine South African provinces.

It is estimated that the wellness center personnel have distributed almost 11 million condoms since 2000. More than 141,000 people have received treatment at the centers, about 48,000 of them for STDs. The center's education services have reached almost 390,000 people.

With HIV prevalence in South Africa estimated at 5 million, the business community has an obligation to step in and help contain the epidemic, said Thando Khaile, senior project manager of the South African Business Coalition on AIDS.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!