Wen pledges more aid to AIDS patients

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Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday pledged new measures to help people living with HIV/AIDS obtain affordable drug treatment, enjoy fair job and education chances and avoid being discriminated.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao shakes hands with an HIV carrier during a discussion with a group of people representing HIV carriers and AIDS patients, doctors and AIDS researchers in Beijing, on Dec 1, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wen inspected the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDCP) in Beijing on the World AIDS Day, which falls on Thursday, for its work on the HIV/AIDS control and prevention and had a discussion with HIV positive people, volunteers, medical experts and representatives of relevant international organizations.

He said that State Council, or the Cabinet, will soon send inspection teams to some regions with high HIV/AIDS prevalence to oversee the implementation of the central government's AIDS policies.

State Council had decided to roll out special medical aid next year in regions with high HIV/AIDS prevalence to help ease heavy financial burdens of patients caused by anti-AIDS treatment.

"Detailed measures are being drafted by relevant departments," Wen said, adding that some AIDS drug will be included in the nation's essential medicine system, which means drug prices are under control and the cost could be covered by basic health insurance.

The premier also promised that the government will increase financial aid to families impoverished by AIDS. Measures will include raising allowance and providing subsidized housing to shelter homeless HIV/AIDS victims.

An HIV carrier surnamed Chen, who was infected during blood transfusion, told Wen that he had encountered enormous difficulties in securing a job to earn his living due to his status.

"I don't want to become the burden of the society and I want to live a normal life as healthy people do," he said. "I wish government and the public will be more aware of difficulties we're facing."

In response to his grievance, Wen said, "It is very unfortunate to get infected through blood transfusion. People like you deserve care and assistance from the government and the society."

Wen told him that more money will be put into the system for ensuring a minimum standard of living to help families with AIDS patients in financial difficulties.

The government is also working on measures to help children orphaned by AIDS, to ensure basic standard of living, equal eduction opportunities and accessible medical treatment, he added.

Wen also said it is necessary to amend laws and regulations that have the nature of discrimination against HIV/AIDS victims.

Zhao Qingxia, a senior physician with the Henan Provincial Hospital for Infectious Diseases, told Premier Wen that some doctors and nurses are reluctant to provide operations for AIDS patients because they are afraid of being infected during operations.

The reason behind of their fears is an absence of mechanism to protect the rights of medical workers who are often exposed to blood-borne infectious diseases such as AIDS, she said.

Wen told her that HIV infection during medical work would be categorized as an occupational disease and the treatment would be covered by the nation's insurance system that takes care of injuries at workplace.

"Subsidies and salaries of people directly involved in HIV/AIDS treatment will be included in government's fiscal budget," he said.

In the country as a whole, there will be about 780,000 people infected with the AIDS virus by the end of the year, according to the Xinhua news agency.

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