ve not been serious in the implementation.

'Unfortunately, many firms do one or the other of these steps, rarely combining the two, which may be leading to weakened, or at worst, ineffective HIV/AIDS policies,' said Bloom.

This assessment is true for Indian corporate bodies surveyed, with 27 percent expecting serious impact of HIV/AIDS in the next five years and only 11 percent having a specific written policy to combat it.

About 31 percent reported having an informal policy while 52 percent had no policy to face the expected challenge.

Informal response

The report says that though 'South Asian and Southeast Asian firms report increasing concern over the effects of HIV/AIDS ... and a relatively high proportion of respondent firms have policies to combat the disease, there is a growing tendency towards informal rather than formal responses'.

Of the 42 Indian of the total 2,221 companies surveyed worldwide, 76 percent in India claimed to have a prevention program, while only 29 percent have provision for any voluntary testing against the global average of 33 percent.

In 50 percent of cases there was no provision for voluntary testing, 45 percent had no condoms program and 67 percent no treatment program.

What is more discouraging is that 74 percent of the Indian companies revealed they had no anti-discrimination policy for protecting the interests of HIV/AIDS infected workers.

On the positive side, 14 percent had an active policy to protect workers, with 10 percent ensuring access to anti-retroviral treatment, 19 percent to promotion of condom usage and 29 percent providing voluntary testing facilities.

Source - IAS
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