Social mobilization of current and ex-mine workers
The Southern Africa TB in the Mines Initiative is conducting social mobilization of mineworkers and ex-mineworkers to raise their awareness on the availability of TB control services, as well as the importance of taking a Benefit Medical Examination (BME) regularly, and more generally about their rights and entitlements. Activities are being implemented in South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique and Botswana. The program has supported the Government of South Africa to track and trace 20,000 mineworkers and equip them with information. As a result, 120,000 Rand ($8,500) has been paid out in compensation to ex-mineworkers thus far.
Supporting an industry-led Public Private Partnership to improve access to TB services and community services
The private and public sector both play a role in addressing the high incidence of TB. Under the leadership of the World Bank, the District Department of Health and mining companies in the West Rand District have developed a draft compact aimed at supporting the implementation of two priority interventions: active TB case finding, and early effective TB diagnosis.
The compact lays out the broad parameters within which the parties will engage, outlines interventions for intensifying TB case finding and improving access to diagnostic services, defines implementation modalities and delineates the roles and responsibilities of the parties. However, implementation of the compact was deferred due to a lack of clarity on the integration of additional resources (from the mining companies) for community development to complement existing commitments under Social and Labour Plans, as provided in the current policy framework.
Social and Labor Plans are a regulatory condition, stipulated by the Department of Minerals (DMR). The DMR requires companies to invest in delivering social and economic benefits to the communities where they operate. Currently, the DMR is in the process of reviewing ten years of implementation of the Social and Labor Plans. The outcome of this review will inform the design of appropriate policies and strategies focused on community development priorities as well as incentives for fostering collaboration among mining companies.
Recognizing that the lack of an appropriate framework for effectively engaging mining companies in community development is a common challenge in the sub region, the program has adopted an alternative strategy of developing a framework for engaging mining companies in community development. This framework will be developed as part of the Global Fund project to promote sustainable community development in peri-mining communities.
Improved coordination and management of the TB in the mining sector response
The Bank and other stakeholders (development partners, private sector, civil society, research institutions and ex-miners associations) have continued to push for improved coordination of the sub-regional response to TB in the mining sector. This effort has been welcomed by all the countries. The Program Implementation Committee (PIC) formed in October 2013 as a governance body to support and coordinate the efforts for Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland was expanded to include other SADC countries. The PIC, which meets at least once a year, provides an opportunity for partners to discuss proposed interventions and plans submitted by implementing entities to ensure that there is a multi-stakeholder priority-setting process contributing to the harmonized sub-regional response.
The PIC continues to serve as a forum for all stakeholders in the sub-region to discuss ongoing activities, address any implementation bottlenecks, and provide strategic direction for the advancement of the regional initiative.
Technical assistance to streamline compensation for occupational lung disease policies
The South Africa National Department of Health (NDoH) has requested technical support from the World Bank to help streamline the policy and regulatory instruments for compensation, as part of its effort to improve the delivery of occupational health services in the mining sector. South Africa, currently has two statutory systems for compensating occupational diseases: the Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works Act (ODMWA), and the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA). The two systems are not only statutorily separate but are also administered by different state agencies—the NDOH administers ODMWA and the Department of Labour, COIDA.
It is widely acknowledged that ODMWA has significant deficiencies with respect to its definitions, scope and coverage of mineworkers and ex-mineworkers, medical assessments, compensation system financing, governance structure, claims management, and benefit structure. Thus, the compensation system under ODMWA has done little to ease the heavy burden of diseases among mineworkers, ex-mineworkers and their families. Mineworkers and ex-mineworkers face several challenges in accessing compensation, especially for occupational TB, as well as regular post-employment medical examinations essential for early detection and treatment of occupational lung diseases.
The WB is working with the government to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the current policy instruments, identify inconsistencies between ODMWA and other relevant legislation, and to consider international best practice in managing occupational diseases linked to the mining sector. The World Bank is working on recommendations for new legislation.
This work is bearing fruit. In May 2015, the NDOH launched Operation Ku-Riaha (Compensation) to speed up the payment of compensation to current and former miners who have submitted valid claims. The NDOH has put aside ZAR 1,500,000 to pay 1,003 of the 200,000 claims backlog that have already been certified as having a compensable occupational disease. Lessons learned from the South Africa review will guide similar reviews in emerging producer countries in the SADC region and beyond.
Source link : https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/the-southern-africa-tb-in-the-mining-sector-initiative
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Publish date : 2019-06-27 10:09:57
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