China is working hard to step up the treatment of AIDS patients as
their number in the country will double from their current level to
reach some 200,000 in five years time.
According to a ranking Chinese health official and medical experts,
this situation would test the country's limited health care
resources.
They fear that over 80 percent of patients might miss out on
receiving medical treatment and care since the average cost of the
treatment was too high to afford and most of the basic medical
institutions were poorly prepared.
"The numbers of AIDS patients and deaths from AIDS are now rising
rapidly," said Qi Xiaoqiu, a Ministry of Health (MOH) official in
charge of disease control.
Experts with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention
estimated the number of AIDS patients, currently between 80,000 and
100,000, would possibly double in five years. Approximately one
million people across China were thought to be infected by HIV, the
AIDS virus.
Compared with the huge, growing demands for treatment, medical
institutions which could provide this service remained scarce and
highly concentrated in big cities such as Beijing. Meanwhile more
than 70 percent of patients live in rural areas.
The Chinese government was exploring multiple channels to improve
the treatment and care for patients, Qi noted, such as allocating
special subsidies from the central budget, encouraging the local
production of AIDS drugs, training medical staff and seeking
international cooperation and support.
The State Council has approved a special fund of 22 million yuan
(about US$2.7 million) per year in the 2002-2004 period for the
treatment of AIDS patients in seriously affected areas.
More AIDS patients might be able to foot their medical bills since
the price of home-made drugs would be only one-tenth of that of
imported ones. Those currently cost between 2,000-3,000 yuan
(US$240-360) for one person per month in China, making the
antiretroviral combination therapy almost out of reach for most
patients.
Chinese pharmaceutical firms could produce four kinds of anti-HIV
drugs to cater for 25,000-30,000 patients this year, Qi said.
The MOH has begun to promote successful treatment and staff
training across the country through establishing 100 county-level
pilot areas for the comprehensive treatment and prevention of
HIV/AIDS.
Meanwhile, China hoped to work with international partners in such
fields as the research and application of anti-HIV drugs, and the
treatment and care of AIDS patients, the MOH official said in
Beijing Monday at a seminar on China-US cooperation on HIV/AIDS
control and prevention strategy.
A
US delegation composed of government officials, medical experts and
foundation directors attending the seminar, were to discuss
possibilities for conducting cooperation with their Chinese
counterparts in these fields.
(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2003)