Discovery Health Sunday Times Right to Know campaign

Encouraging people to get tested and receive their results

Sunday Times’ Each One Reach Five campaign challenges people to get tested for HIV. The campaign asks one person to encourage five people to get tested and each of those five people to ask five other people to take a test, and so on.

Discovery Health and Sunday Times have agreed to take the existing Each One Reach Five campaign to the next level by running a campaign to encourage people to get tested and receive their results.

The Discovery Health Sunday Times Right to Know campaign – launched on 6 July 2008 – enables anyone who has received voluntary counselling and testing and received their test results to send in an entry form and stand a chance to win R100 000 a month for one year.

The campaign runs for a year, starting on 6 July 2008 and ending on 30 June 2009.

Awareness of the importance of HIV testing

  • It is a known fact that the vast majority of South Africans are not aware of their HIV status and we recognise that every South African needs to be tested.
  • Being tested and understanding the results of their tests promotes prevention when testing negative, and access to treatment, care and support if testing positive.
  • Discovery Health’s commitment to early HIV testing, effective care, and the proven success in using incentives to motivate change through the Vitality programme, can contribute significantly to the objectives of the Each One Reach Five campaign.
  • With this experience, we looked at ways to use our strengths to mobilise as many people as possible to get tested.

A monthly prize to increase participation

  • Discovery Health will provide the monthly prize as an incentive for as many people as possible to get tested and receive their results.
  • Offering this incentive forms part of our broader HIV strategy to extend voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) to as many people as possible.
  • Knowledge of an HIV status is an entry point to education, prevention, treatment, care and support.

You can be assured that the prize money is not paid from members’ medical scheme contributions, but by Discovery Health (Pty) Ltd.

How the Right to Know campaign works

  • To take part in the campaign you must complete an entry form that confirms that you received pre- and post-test counselling on HIV and AIDS, and that you give consent to be tested. Forms are available in the Sunday Times as well as online.
  • Your healthcare professional must sign the entry form, confirming that the test was done and that you received the results of the test. Remember to take the entry form with you when you get tested
  • You will find boxes for the entry forms at all Clicks and Dis-Chem pharmacies. You can also post your entry form to the Sunday Times
  • You need to enter only once. Your entry form will be valid for the duration of the campaign - from July 2008 to June 2009
  • An independent auditor will audit the prize draws to ensure the draw is fair and transparent
  • Anyone over the age of 16 may participate and be eligible for the prize money if they are tested in an accredited environment that offers pre- and post-test counselling, including Clicks and Dis-Chem clinics.

Where you can get tested

Anyone who wants to take part in the campaign can speak to their doctor or clinic about getting tested. Nurses at Clicks and Dis-Chem pharmacy clinics can also do HIV testing.

Discovery Health members can do the HIV test at one of Vitality’s participating pharmacies, including Dis-Chem and Clicks pharmacies. For a list of the participating pharmacies please refer to the top right box called “Forms and lists”.

You can also call the following organisations to get a list of healthcare providers who provide VCT services:

HIV 911 on 0860 448 911: The consultants will provide confidential assistance and will give you the details of accredited HIV testing facilities.

The National AIDS Helpline on 0800 012 322: They provide a confidential, anonymous 24-hour toll-free telephone counselling, information and referral service for those infected and affected by HIV and AIDS.

These organisations also give people access to confidential HIV and AIDS support services.

Entry forms are available in the Sunday Times and online.

What to do after being tested

You will never have to disclose your status – the results of the test remain confidential between you and your healthcare professional.

Complete and sign the form

Once you have been tested, received your results and your healthcare professional completed the form, you need to complete the entry form. You only need to enter once to be eligible for the monthly R100 000 prize.

Get the form to us

Post the form to PO Box 1742, Saxonworld 2132 or drop it off in the competition boxes in participating Dis-Chem and Clicks pharmacies.

Winners of the R100 000


Congratulations to our seventh winner Rebecca Tlhoaele: Read more...

» Previous competition winners

The Right to Know campaign only ends in June 2009, so there is still a good chance of winning the R100 000.

Forms and lists

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