Employees travelling on official duty and catching a disease like malaria are also considered to have fallen ill while on duty.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) attracting malaria in South Africa is considered to be a mild risk. With the exception of the Kruger National Park and a small strip off land along the borders with Zimbabwe and Botswana, the rest of South Africa poses no threat. Further north, particularly north and east of Zambia the disease is more prominent.
With many people travelling for business purposes these days, it is possible for an employee to fall ill. What is it that employers need to do when this happens?
When an employee is diagnosed with malaria, the Workmens Compensation Authority (WCA) will require the following documentation:
- WCL 1.
- Certified copy of ID.
- Payslip of the month in which the employee got sick.
- First medical report and first pathology report. The pathology report will indicate that the parasite is present in the patient’s blood
- Final medical report and final pathology report. The pathology report will indicate that the patient’s blood is clear of the parasite.
- Exposure history – please provide as much detail as possible. (Some questions are not relevant to the malaria.)
- Resumption Report
- WCA will require any other document relating to the disease. If an employer / employee made any payments for medicine / medical treatment you will be expected to provide the medical report, referral letters and the prescription. WCA will require you to submit the original proof of payment and the original invoice to claim back your expenses.
WCA will only pay out claims or reimburse TTD's once it has finalised the claim.
As you can see, a small parasite like the malaria bug could be responsible for a significant workload. To make matters worse malaria symptoms don't necessarily show immediately. The bug can become a serious threat even days after it infected a person. Some companies, in particular big mining companies in other African countries and companies with employees that are in and out high-risk areas, have moved to a system whereby employees are tested prior to departure and on their return.
Malaria is a serious disease and it can be lethal. Signs and symptoms of malaria typically begin 8'25 days following infection however, symptoms may occur later in those who have taken anti-malarial medications as a preventative. Initial manifestations of the disease'common to all malaria species'are similar to flu-like symptoms, and can resemble other conditions such as septicaemia, gastroenteritis and viral diseases. Symptoms may include: headache, fever, shivering, joint pain, vomiting, haemolytic anaemia, jaundice, haemoglobin in the urine, retinal damage or convulsions.
The classic symptom of malaria is paroxysm'a cyclical occurrence of sudden coldness followed by shivering and then fever and sweating, occurring every two days. The infection can cause recurrent fever every 36'48 hours or a less pronounced and almost continuous fever.
Don't under-estimate malaria and certainly don't underestimate the paperwork that comes with it once an employee has fallen ill. Although it is impossible to prevent people from getting infected, employers must be aware that the responsibility for the well-being of their staff doesn't stop at the gate.
Comments (3)
I have contacted malaria in l was working now l out of Hospital l must carry on with dialysis how must pay for that
2023-05-18 14:44:56Dear Samuel Thank you for your query via our comments, we really do appreciate it... Sorry to hear about you contracting Malaria, we hope you recover soonest... If you were traveling while on duty, then you must report the matter to your Employer who will then assist you with completing the forms and sending to WCA for a claim, if this has already happened and you have a claim number, then follow up with your employer or contact WCA directly with your claim number and ID number at hand. WCA will cover the costs if they have issued a claim number and all the medicals have been submitted.
2023-05-19 10:47:08My husband works in Drc he got malaria and was hospitalized for a month as it was complicated malaria. So now they say he is not fit to go to work it's 3months now. Can they fire him because they say he must wait till may for medical checkup. Can the employer fire him?
2020-03-04 13:33:03I have read this article and it contains a lot of information and is also very accurate. Thanks to the writer of this article for sharing knowledge with us.
2022-12-21 08:03:43