Long-term insurance industry launches
HIV pre-test counselling
The Life Offices' Association (LOA) launched its new HIV pre-test counselling
initiative recently.
This pro-active action by the long-term insurance industry is a further
significant step, in addition to other activities in this field, to facilitate
greater access to voluntary HIV counselling and testing and is supportive of the
Voluntary Testing and Counselling (VCT) programme of the Department of Health,
says Gerhard Joubert, executive director of the LOA.
Individuals who take an HIV test for long-term insurance purposes now have
the option to undergo face-to-face pre-test counselling prior to undergoing the
test, says Joubert. "Personal one-on-one pre-test counselling is generally
not provided in South Africa in a formal and structured way. Counselling prior
to HIV testing is done differently in the various clinical environments. In
Government Health Services, group counselling sessions are provided. Antenatal
clinics and Blood Bank Services provide counselling through a printed leaflet.
The LOA, however, strongly believes that standardised personal pre-test
counselling should become the norm."
"The LOA has always applied very high standards in the processes and
methodologies related to HIV testing. As a matter of fact, the LOA HIV Testing
Protocol is internationally regarded as an exemplary standard for the long-term
insurance industry. However, in the light of the circumstances in South Africa,
with high rates of prevalence, and in line with the proposed National HIV
Testing Policy, the LOA decided to offer this additional service."
Voluntary personal post-test counselling was always offered at no additional
cost to the client, says Joubert. "However, LOA members will now also be
providing voluntary, free pre-test counselling to the client. We believe that
pre-test counselling when testing for HIV will help to ensure that both HIV
negative and HIV positive individuals respond to the results of their test in a
positive and productive manner."
The importance of this service must not be underestimated, says Joubert.
"At the time of announcing the 2002 pilot project, Dr Nono Simelela, chief
director: HIV/AIDS and TB, Department of Health said that the reality of the
HIV/AIDS epidemic must be recognised by all South Africans. Also that
appropriate responses had to be identified and that the Department of Health
commended the LOA on this new and appropriate response of providing pre-test
counselling to clients."
The LOA has reached agreement with the National Pathology Group (NPG) to
provide the counselling services on a national level, says Joubert. "The
implementation of this initiative follows on the successful completion of a
personal pre-test counselling pilot project for HIV testing conducted in
consultation with the Department of Health last year."
Since then counsellors were identified and trained by LOA representatives.
Personal pre-test counselling will be conducted as laid down in the LOA HIV
Testing Protocol. The process is being phased in from today, (Friday, 11 April
2003) with final implementation on 1 May 2003. The service will initially be
provided at designated pathology laboratories in all major centres including
Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Johannesburg, Pretoria,
Nelspruit and Bloemfontein.
The programme will be reviewed after 6 months, with a view to making
adjustments where required, says Joubert. "It is the vision of the LOA to
provide this service to each and every person who takes an HIV test for
insurance purposes, and we will also monitor the responses of those persons who
elect not to undergo pre-test counselling, with a view to adjusting the process
in order to encourage as high a take-up rate as possible."
In addition to providing for the introduction of pre-test counselling, the
revised HIV Testing Protocol also contains a more user-friendly version of the
HIV Testing Information Sheet, which is now available to applicants in all
official languages. [LOA]
More information:
Details of the protocol, procedure and venues can be obtained from the LOA
website: www.loa.co.za (click on "Code
of Conduct", then "HIV Testing Protocol")
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