33 research outputs found
The Impact of AIDS on Government Service Delivery: The Case of the Zambia Wildlife Authority
Full text linkBackground: The loss of working-aged adults to HIV/AIDS has been shown to increase the costs of labor to the private sector in Africa. There is little corresponding evidence for the public sector. This study evaluated the impact of AIDS on the capacity of a government agency, the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), to patrol Zambia’s national parks.
Methods: Data were collected from ZAWA on workforce characteristics, recent mortality, costs, and the number of days spent on patrol between 2003 and 2005 by a sample of 76 current patrol officers (reference subjects) and 11 patrol officers who died of AIDS or suspected AIDS (index subjects). An estimate was made of the impact of AIDS on service delivery capacity and labor costs and the potential net benefits of providing treatment.
Results: Reference subjects spent an average of 197.4 days on patrol per year. After adjusting for age, years of service, and worksite, index subjects spent 62.8 days on patrol in their last year of service (68% decrease, p<0.0001), 96.8 days on patrol in their second to last year of service (51% decrease, p<0.0001), and 123.7 days on patrol in their third to last year of service (37% decrease, p<0.0001). For each employee who died, ZAWA lost an additional 111 person-days for management, funeral attendance, vacancy, and recruitment and training of a replacement, resulting in a total productivity loss per death of 2.0 person-years. Each AIDS-related death also imposed budgetary costs for care, benefits, recruitment, and training equivalent to 3.3 years’ annual compensation. In 2005, AIDS reduced service delivery capacity by 6.2% and increased labor costs by 9.7%. If antiretroviral therapy could be provided for 285,000/year.
Conclusion: AIDS is constraining ZAWA’s ability to protect Zambia’s wildlife and parks. Impacts on this government agency are substantially larger than have been observed in the private sector. Provision of ART would result in net budgetary savings to ZAWA and greatly increase its service delivery capacity
The impact of AIDS on government service delivery: the case of the Zambia Wildlife Authority
Full text linkThis repository item contains a single issue of
the Health and Development Discussion Papers, an informal working paper series that began publishing in 2002 by the Boston University Center for Global Health and Development. It is intended to help the Center and individual authors to disseminate work that is being prepared for journal publication or that is not appropriate for journal publication but might still have value to readers.BACKGROUND: The loss of working-aged adults
to HIV/AIDS has been shown to increase the costs of labor to the private sector in Africa. There
is little corresponding evidence for the public sector. This study evaluated the impact of AIDS
on the capacity of a government agency, the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), to patrol Zambia’s
national parks. METHODS: Data were collected from ZAWA on workforce characteristics, recent
mortality, costs, and the number of days spent on patrol between 2003 and 2005 by a sample of 76
current patrol officers (reference subjects) and 11 patrol officers who died of AIDS or
suspected AIDS (index subjects). An estimate was made of the impact of AIDS on service delivery
capacity and labor costs and the potential net benefits of providing treatment. RESULTS:
Reference subjects spent an average of 197.4 days on patrol per year. After adjusting for age,
years of service, and worksite, index subjects spent 62.8 days on patrol in their last year of
service (68% decrease, p<0.0001), 96.8 days on patrol in their second to last year of service
(51% decrease, p<0.0001), and 123.7 days on patrol in their third to last year of service (37% decrease, p<0.0001). For each employee who died, ZAWA lost an additional 111 person-days for
management, funeral attendance, vacancy, and recruitment and training of a replacement,
resulting in a total productivity loss per death of 2.0 person-years. Each AIDS-related death
also imposed budgetary costs for care, benefits, recruitment, and training equivalent to 3.3
years’ annual compensation. In 2005, AIDS reduced service delivery capacity by 6.2% and
increased labor costs by 9.7%. If antiretroviral therapy could be provided for
285,000/year. CONCLUSION: AIDS is
constraining ZAWA’s ability to protect Zambia’s wildlife and parks. Impacts on this government
agency are substantially larger than have been observed in the private sector. Provision of ART
would result in net budgetary savings to ZAWA and greatly increase its service delivery
capacity
The private sector and HIV/AIDS in Africa: taking stock of six years of applied research
Full text linkThis repository item contains a single issue of the Health and Development Discussion Papers, an informal working paper series that began publishing in 2002 by the Boston University Center for Global Health and Development. It is intended to help the Center and individual authors to disseminate work that is being prepared for journal publication or that is not appropriate for journal publication but might still have value to readers.BACKGROUND: Until recently, little was known about the costs of the HIV/AIDS epidemic to
businesses in Africa and business responses to the epidemic. This paper synthesizes the
results of a set of studies conducted between 1999 and 2006 and draws conclusions about the
role of the private sector in Africa’s response to AIDS.
METHODS: Detailed human resource, financial, and medical data were collected from 14 large
private and parastatal companies in South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, and Ethiopia.
Surveys of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were conducted in South Africa,
Kenya, and Zambia. Large companies’ responses or potential responses to the epidemic were
investigated in South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, and Rwanda.
RESULTS: Among the large companies, estimated workforce HIV prevalence ranged from 5%-
37%. The average cost per employee lost to AIDS varied from 0.5-5.6 times the average
annual compensation of the employee affected. Labor cost increases as a result of AIDS
were estimated at anywhere from 0.6%-10.8% but exceeded 3% at only 2 of 14 companies.
Treatment of eligible employees with ART at a cost of $360/patient/year was shown to have
positive financial returns for most but not all companies. Uptake of employer-provided
testing and treatment services varied widely. Among SMEs, HIV prevalence in the workforce was estimated at 10%-26%. SME managers consistently reported low AIDS related employee attrition, little concern about the impacts of AIDS on their companies, and relatively little interest in taking action, and fewer than half had ever discussed AIDS with their senior staff. AIDS was estimated to increase the average operating costs of small tourism companies in Zambia by less than 1%; labor cost increases in other sectors were probably smaller.
CONCLUSIONS: Although there was wide variation among the firms studied, clear patterns emerged that will permit some prediction of impacts and responses in the future
The Private Sector and HIV/AIDS in Africa: Taking Stock of Six Years of Applied Research
Full text linkBackground: Until recently, little was known about the costs of the HIV/AIDS epidemic to businesses in Africa and business responses to the epidemic. This paper synthesizes the results of a set of studies conducted between 1999 and 2006 and draws conclusions about the role of the private sector in Africa’s response to AIDS.
Methods: Detailed human resource, financial, and medical data were collected from 14 large private and parastatal companies in South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, and Ethiopia. Surveys of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were conducted in South Africa, Kenya, and Zambia. Large companies’ responses or potential responses to the epidemic were investigated in South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, and Rwanda.
Results: Among the large companies, estimated workforce HIV prevalence ranged from 5%¬37%. The average cost per employee lost to AIDS varied from 0.5-5.6 times the average annual compensation of the employee affected. Labor cost increases as a result of AIDS were estimated at anywhere from 0.6%-10.8% but exceeded 3% at only 2 of 14 companies. Treatment of eligible employees with ART at a cost of $360/patient/year was shown to have positive financial returns for most but not all companies. Uptake of employer-provided testing and treatment services varied widely. Among SMEs, HIV prevalence in the workforce was estimated at 10%-26%. SME managers consistently reported low AIDS-related employee attrition, little concern about the impacts of AIDS on their companies, and relatively little interest in taking action, and fewer than half had ever discussed AIDS with their senior staff. AIDS was estimated to increase the average operating costs of small tourism companies in Zambia by less than 1%; labor cost increases in other sectors were probably smaller.
Conclusions: Although there was wide variation among the firms studied, clear patterns emerged that will permit some prediction of impacts and responses in the future
