Why do we need an Occupational Safety and Health Bill?
The absence of a national legislation on occupational safety and health has trivialized occupational safety issues in the labor market in Lesotho. It is therefore imperative for the government of Lesotho to strengthen the regulatory framework in this field to protect the workers from workplace risks and hazards, including biological hazards. The Ministry of Labour and Employment with the financial and technical support of the Southern Africa Tuberculosis and Health Systems Support Project is in the process of developing the Occupational Safety and Health Bill in pursuance of the National Occupational Safety and Health Policy of 2021. The bill is developed in compliance with international labor standards and treaties and in a phased approach.
Published: 10 June 2022
Published: 26 October 2021
Tuberculosis (TB) is a communicable disease that is a major cause of ill health, one of the top 10 causes of
death worldwide and the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent (ranking above HIV/AIDS). In
2019, about 10 million people developed TB and 1.4 million died. TB is caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium
tuberculosis, which is spread when people who are sick with TB expel bacteria into the air; for example, by
coughing. The disease typically affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can also affect other sites (extrapulmonary
TB).
Published: 29 April 2021
The Southern Africa Tuberculosis and Health Systems Support (SATBHSS) project is a regional project that was launched in 2016 with the aim of strengthening the health sector’s response to Tuberculosis and occupational lung diseases. It is implemented in four (4) Southern African Development Community (SADC) Member States: Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. The African Union Development Agency –NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) and East, Central and Southern Africa Health
Community (ECSA-HC) collaborate to provide regional coordination & technical support in project implementation in the participating countries.
The project, which is funded by the World Bank aims at (i) improving the coverage and quality of TB control and occupational lung disease services; (ii) strengthening the regional capacity to manage the burden of TB and
occupational lung diseases; and (iii) strengthening country-level and crossborder preparedness and response to disease outbreaks.
This project responds to some of the challenges of Tuberculosis in Africa by targeting the most affected areas and communities in low income countries. The project targets interventions in the mining communities, transport corridors and cross-border areas of the participating countries in the SADC region. The project contributes to regional, continental and global frameworks on Tuberculosis such as the SADC Strategic Framework for Control of Tuberculosis, the African Union Catalytic Framework to End AIDS, TB and Eliminate Malaria in Africa by 2030, and the World Health Organization
(WHO) End TB Strategy respectively, among others.
Maintaining the Momentum in Addressing Tuberculosis in the Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa.
Published: 12 October 2020
Maintaining the Momentum in Addressing Tuberculosis in the Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa.
We have seen how the world has come together to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, however it is imperative to ensure that essential services and operations for dealing with the long-standing health problems such as TB continue so as to protect the lives of people with TB and other diseases. Providers of essential health services, including national programmes to combat TB, need to be actively engaged in ensuring an effective and rapid response to COVID-19 while ensuring that TB services are maintained.
Published: 06 August 2020
The African Union Development Agency- NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC), The International Labour Organisation (ILO), East Central and Southern Africa-Health Community (ECSA-HC), Department of Health South Africa, the National Institute For Occupational Health South Africa and OSH-Africa, successfully launched a series of 12 COVID-19 Workplace Response Trainings for all sectors of the economy. The well received trainings took place from 18 May 2020 till 10 July 2020 with over 2158 participants joined the trainings from 33 countries across Africa.
Published: 06 July 2020
Latest SATBHSS Quarterly 2020 Bulletin detailing quarterly key success stories, media coverage and case studies.
Published: 10 June 2020
AUDA-NEPAD in partnership with the African Union, Department of Health South Africa, The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and partners will be hosting its AUDA-NEPAD 3rd series of COVID-19 Workplace Response Trainings on Occupational Safety and Health for all sectors.
Published: 10 June 2020
AUDA-NEPAD in partnership with the African Union, Department of Health South Africa, The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and partners will be hosting its AUDA-NEPAD 2nd series of COVID-19 Workplace Response Trainings on Occupational Safety and Health for all sectors.
Published: 10 June 2020
ECSA-HC Launches Online Webinars in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Published: 25 May 2020
Given that more than 70% of African countries’ population visit a facility at least once per year to seek health care and prevention services, healthcare care facilities play a critical role in controlling the outbreak. Poor IPC practices during this pandemic has a potential to fuel the spread of the virus among healthcare and the communities. In response, ECSA-HC has organized a series of webinars aimed at providing: i) a summary of recommendations for practical implementation and integration of IPC for COVID – 19 in the existing structures at health facilities; ii) best practice to maintain high standards of infection control in resource limited facilities; and ii) practical guidance for strengthening ongoing implementation of IPC standards in a diversity of settings, namely, healthcare facilities, isolation centres and in the community.
