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C. China province offers free herbal treatment for HIV/AIDS carriers
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-07-29 21:59
The central province of Hunan launched a program Friday to treat HIV/AIDS
carriers with free traditional Chinese medicine, according to the provincial
healthcare department.
About 450 AIDS patients and HIV/AIDS carriers, who volunteered to participate
in the program, are expected to receive free treatment in five test clinic bases
to be established soon in the province during the one-year program.
Compared with the Western-style drugs that have too many side-effects and are
too expensive, the cost for traditional Chinese medicine in HIV/AIDS treatment
is relatively low and results in less side-effects.
The program is part of China's ongoing campaign to help thousands of HIV/AIDS
sufferers with the use of traditional Chinese medicine as a way to fight the
fatal disease.
Since the national test program was launched in 2004, about 2, 300 AIDS
patients in the five provinces of Hebei, Anhui, Henan, Hubei and Guangdong, have
got help.
The Ministry of Health will expand the free treatment program in 11 more
provinces and municipalities including Hunan this year to prevent the spread of
the disease and treat a total of 4,500 HIV/AIDS carriers.
The central government has earmarked 2.07 million yuan (over 255,000 US
dollars) for Hunan's program, 80 percent of which will be the cost for the drugs
and the rest will be used in the training and management of the medical staff.
The local government and the hospitals will keep the privacy of the volunteer
patients and doctors will adopt different therapy to patients in accordance with
their specific conditions.
It is also possible to use the combination of western-style anti-retroviral
drugs with traditional Chinese medicine, doctors said.
Hunan had registered 1,249 HIV/AIDS carriers by the end of last year, 99 of
which have passed away.
China reportedly has 840,000 HIV/AIDS carriers, including 80, 000 AIDS
patients.
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