Can the Pharmaceutical Industry be Trusted

Anglo American

5-3. Because such a large percentage of its workforce consists of migrant workers who are more likely to acquire and spread HIV/AIDS, should Anglo adopt the policy of not hiring migrant workers? Should the South African government close the doors to migrant workers?

Anglo should not discriminate against migrant workers just because of the HIV stigma. Stigma is a real thing and can do a great more damage to people than even the so-called disease might do. In Africa, the stigma of HIV is a serious risk that people do not want to accept (Anglo-American Case, n.d.). Therefore, many of them do not want to get tested. If a person does not want to get tested, his wishes and desires should be respected: after all, it is that person’s body and a person should have autonomy over his own health and body. It is not Anglo’s job to test its employees or to provide drugs that people may not even want. By simply changing its strategy from one of attempting to reduce the spread of HIV to one of respecting workers’ rights and attitudes, Anglo could save hundreds of millions of dollars. Considering all the uncertainties surrounding HIV and all the misinformation too, it appears that Anglo has taken on a corporate social responsibility policy that is more harmful than good. Adopting a policy of discriminating against migrant workers would be like adding fuel to the fire. It would worsen Anglo’s position and further reduce its profitability.

Additionally, the South African government should not close its doors to migrant workers. Migrant workers come to South Africa for a variety of reasons. Some are fleeing persecution or conflict in their home countries, while others are simply seeking better economic opportunities. Whatever their reasons, it is important to remember that they are human beings with rights. Closing the doors to migrant workers would be a violation of their human rights and would set a dangerous precedent. Additionally, it is worth noting that migrant workers contribute significantly to the economy. They often take on jobs that South Africans are not willing to do, and they remit billions of dollars back to their home countries each year. For these reasons, it is clear that closing the doors to migrant workers would be bad for South Africa both morally and economically (Rasool & Botha, 2011).

5-4. What role do pharmaceutical companies play in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa? Given that HIV/AIDS drugs can be exported from India at a lower cost than from the pharmaceutical companies themselves, should Anglo just import the drugs to be used for their employees?

In response to the epidemic, pharmaceutical companies have played a role in providing treatment and care for those affected. Many companies have developed antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) that can prolong the life of someone with HIV and improve their quality of life. In addition, many pharmaceutical companies have programs in place to provide ARVs to people in developing countries at a reduced cost or free of charge. As a result, pharmaceutical companies have made a significant contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa. However, there is another light in which one can look at the situation. One could see the HIV situation in Africa as not nearly as threatening as the pharmaceutical industry makes it out to seem. Much like the way the same industry spread fears about COVID in 2020 for people who were not high risk so as to sell vaccines to governments worldwide, it could be argued that the same industry does the same thing in Africa so as to sell treatments to fight a “disease” that actually does very little harm to “carriers”. After all, as News24 (2012) reports, with the ramping up of maize production in parts of Africa HIV-attributed deaths dropped off, suggesting that people were dying more from malnutrition than from any auto-immune deficiency. But of course the pharmaceutical industry has a bottom line to protect too and it will spin the situation in its favor to sell more drugs.

Just because HIV/AIDS drugs can be exported from India at a lower cost than from the pharmaceutical companies themselves, it does not mean that Anglo should import the drugs to be used for their employees. The employees themselves are skeptical of the drugs and the industry overall, and the historical trauma among the black community is such that their skepticism is rightly felt. The Tuskegee experiments on the black community in America is indication enough of how the medical industry will misuse its position to deliberately hurt people of this population for the industry’s own gain.