There is also a need for efficient grant or other support systems, not only for the HIV-disabled, but also for the elderly and others involved in child support to relieve household economic hardships. It is important that available resources are targeted at the most vulnerable households, communities and sub-groups, and that the resources are directed towards supporting all affected people, not just those who are infected or ill. AIDS deaths will soon exceed all other causes of death put together among the South African workforce. South Africa already faces enormous challenges in human development owing to training backlogs, inherited inequities and inefficiencies in the education system. Substantial investment in preventing HIV transmission in trained workers is therefore warranted.
Businesses have a key role to play in the area of prevention and also in reducing denial and stigma.
The most significant costs of the epidemic for most companies are likely to be indirect, including increased absenteeism due to illness or funeral attendance, lost skills, training and recruitment costs, and reduced work performance and lower productivity. Both public and private health sectors will be seriously affected. Projected expenditure will almost certainly not be sustainable, given public and private sector affordability constraints. This implies that some rationing will have to occur to reconcile needs with available resources. It is possible that HIV-related disease sufferers will experience a greater degree of rationing than other health service users.