AHF China Cares opens Third Free AIDS Treatment Clinic in China in Nanyang City in collaboration with Wolong CDC

By: AIDS Healthcare Foundation

Nanyang City, Henan, China - July 10, 2009

AHF China Cares opened its third free anti-retroviral clinic in China in collaboration with the Wolong District Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanyang city, Henan province, China. The Opening Ceremony was graced by Dr. Wang Peng, the Director of Project Management Office, Chinese Preventive Medicine association (CPMA). Mrs., Li Lin, Vice Director of Wolong district government. Mrs. Guo Ju ping, Vice Director of Wolong Health Bureau. Mr. Mei Zhen Hua, Director of Wolong CDC. Mr. Yu Wei min, vice director of Wolong CDC. Mr. Yang Xinyu, Country Coordinator of AHF. Dr. Parveen Kaur, Medical Specialist from AHF Los Angeles, attended the opening ceremony. The Clinic opening was attended also by 60 doctors from township level health clinics and city level hospitals attended the opening ceremony who also participated in the First HIV Training conducted in Nanyang by AHF China Cares and the Wolong CDC from June 24th to 26th.

Dr. Wang Peng, from CPMA said that “CPMA is honored to collaborate with AHF China Cares and facilitated the establishment of the AHF and Wolong CDC ART Clinic”. He further said that “AHF models have been successful in China. I am sure that this project with be a huge success and demonstrate high quality deliver of HIVAIDS Treatment and Care and be a treatment model to improve the quality of life for PLHAs”.

Mrs. Li Lin, the Vice Director of Wolong district, said “AIDS is not only a health problem but a social problem as well. We need government leadership, established health systems and international assistance to improve our work. I believe that through collaborative effort, we can achieve more success and do our best for patients”.

Dr. Mei Zhen Hua, Director of Wolong CDC said – “Although we have made great progress on AIDS treatment, there is still a huge gap in the need. We need cooperation and assistance by other parties, and I look forward with hope that through cooperation with AHF, we can provide better services and care to patients”.

“We highly value our relationship with Wolong CDC and are grateful for the opportunity to join hands to strengthen the provision of HIV/AIDS treatment and care in this program in Nanjang. We thank CPMA for their support and helping to facilitate the smooth start up of our programs.” – Dr Chinkholal Thangsing, Asia Pacific Bureau Chief, AIDS Healthcare Foundation Global.

AHF China Cares – Program Coordinator, Mr. Yang Xinyu, said “It is truly an honor for us to collaborate with CPMA and Wolong CDC. AHF China Cares will fully cooperate with local stakeholders, government, NGOs to build up capacity, provide high quality support and care to PLHAs, We hope we will make a difference in the AIDS treatment and management working closely with Wolong CDC”. The goal of the AHF China Cares -Wolong CDC project is to build up a high quality, accessible and affordable treatment model to improve the quality of lives to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Background: Henan province is located in the part of China. It is the largest province in China regarding population size which has 120 million people. It has the highest HIV prevalence in China with more than 50,000 reported number of HIV infection. Most people became HIV positive through blood donation and unsafe blood transfusion in 1990s. Among those HIV positives, most of them have progressed to AIDS and it has been the peak time of AIDS morbidity and mortality in Henan province.

Nanyang is one of the prefecture level cities in Henan province with 13 districts, 12 million people. Wolong is one of the districts in Nanyang city. Wolong has 700 reported number of HIV infection and 350 are on ARV treatment. Wolong Center of Prevention and Control (CDC) take the responsibility of AIDS treatment and patient management. Wolong CDC allocated those patients into 12 township level health clinics to receive outpatient treatment and following up service according to their residences. Wolong CDC has the leadership to those township level clinics.

AHF China Cares has been in operation since 2005; the program carries forward the vision and mission of AIDS Healthcare Foundation and implements life saving anti-retroviral treatment, care and support, prevention and public health care programs in four provinces of China. In China, AHF operates three clinics working with Linfen ID Hospital in Shanxi Province, Quangxi CDC; in Nanning City, Xinjiang Medical University and now in Henan Province in Nanyang City with Wolong CDC. In the Asia/Pacific region, AIDS Healthcare Foundation currently provides free anti-retroviral treatment and services to people in need through its clinics and programmes in India, Nepal, Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia and China.