But the workers say he suffers a great deal. Even when the workers bring him food, family members often take it from him. They, too, are hungry, and he is far too weak to stop them. You'll see that the sick person's plate and utensils are in the corner away from everyone else. You see it a lot.
People are ignorant about the disease.
Murchison, like many other hospitals in the province, is already overwhelmed by the numbers of AIDS patients. Since there are no similar models to study, economists say it is impossible to predict what is likely to happen to South Africa's economy. Some predict that the bigger corporations will be able to adapt to a decline in the labor pool. Most are already in the process of shedding employees as they mechanize, computerize and in general try to become more competitive. In addition, the growing mobility of the international labor pool means that South Africa could go outside the country to fill gaps that arise.