NGO clinic barred from treating AIDS
By Wang Ruoyao and Cheng Qun |
June 12, 2012, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE impending forced closure of a pioneering AIDS clinic in southern China has deprived at least one patient of newfound hope and spotlighted weaknesses in the country's anti-AIDS campaign.
He Li (not her real name), 15, was orphaned years ago, when her AIDS-infected parents died and she herself was found to have contracted HIV in 2011. Later, she nearly lost her sight as a result of cytomegalovirus retinitis, an opportunistic infection (OI) often developed by HIV-infected people.
But hope arrived in the form of the Lu Guogan clinic in Nanning City, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
In February, after spending all her grandmother's savings in a local hospital, He decided to try this nonprofit, believed to be the only such facility providing free or low-cost treatment of opportunistic infections for AIDS patients in China.
Her eyes are rapidly recovering, thanks to months of treatment.
"This place is like a home. The doctor and nurse take care of me for free, and even offer me food and a bed," she says, noting that her weight has climbed to 37kg from 23kg at the beginning of her stay.
However, local authorities last week decided to suspend the license of the clinic, which has only been operating for half a year.
"Hearing the news, I feel like I've seen some sunshine in my life, but it'll become dark all over again," He says.
In accordance with the country's regulations, such a clinic is not authorized to treat HIV/AIDS, Ding Wei, deputy director of the health bureau in Nanning, told Xinhua news agency.
"AIDS is a communicable disease. If the physician doesn't have expertise and facilities, there will be risks of cross-infection and further spreading of the epidemic," according to Ding.
No go for an NGO
The Lu Guogan clinic has provided treatment of OIs for more than 100 AIDS patients - a lucky group, of which 90 impoverished members were treated free of charge - and offered drugs worth over 200,000 yuan (US$31,600), according to Li Lin, deputy secretary general of AIDS Care China, a non-governmental organization (NGO) funding the clinic.
Although the government has been providing free antiretroviral medications for HIV/AIDS patients for years, Li and his colleagues found many patients could not afford the treatment of some OIs, which often occur when their immune system is damaged by the HIV virus.
Thus, the organization set up the clinic in partnership with the physician after whom it is named.
Facing a penalty imposed by the health watchdog agency, Li admitted defects in the clinic's operation. However, he argues that its treatment is reliable, since Lu worked for AIDS programs launched by Doctors Without Borders for seven years and spent another year studying AIDS therapy in the UK.
Lu explains the Regulation on AIDS Prevention and Treatment that began to take effect in China in 2006 stipulates that the government encourages organizations and individuals to participate in anti-AIDS initiatives and he believes the clinic is among those "being encouraged."
However, Ding's response is that the government only backs NGOs' contribution in providing counsel to AIDS patients and in AIDS testing and education campaigns.
"We actually don't expect NGOs to engage in treatment of AIDS-related diseases, because it's the job of professional agencies," Ding clarifies.
China has no less than 400 NGOs that focus on offering psychological intervention, free HIV testing and care for HIV-infected people, especially children. Nevertheless, AIDS Care China is making a last-ditch effort to persuade health authorities to revoke their decision on the Lu Guogan clinic.
Instead of suspension, Li says, "We look forward to standardizing our services under the government's supervision," Li says.
Some of his patients were denied access to the local hospital, where discrimination against HIV-infected people persists, while others were unable to afford hefty medical bills.
Why go to the clinic?
One such cash-strapped patient of Lu's is 36-year-old Huang Xin (not her real name), who says, "I'll never forget the day. I left the hospital because I didn't have a penny to continue my infection treatment. The doctor resented me, and my family gave me the cold shoulder. I wanted to kill myself by jumping off the building."
In fact, the Regulation on AIDS Prevention and Treatment provides that costs for anti-OI medications should be "properly" reduced or removed for low-income HIV-infected people and AIDS patients in both rural and urban areas.
But the policy does not work perfectly since rules for its implementation are unsound, according to Li, who explains, "Without robust supervision, some hospitals feel reluctant to carry out the policy in light of their own operating costs."
He Li (not her real name), 15, was orphaned years ago, when her AIDS-infected parents died and she herself was found to have contracted HIV in 2011. Later, she nearly lost her sight as a result of cytomegalovirus retinitis, an opportunistic infection (OI) often developed by HIV-infected people.
But hope arrived in the form of the Lu Guogan clinic in Nanning City, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
In February, after spending all her grandmother's savings in a local hospital, He decided to try this nonprofit, believed to be the only such facility providing free or low-cost treatment of opportunistic infections for AIDS patients in China.
Her eyes are rapidly recovering, thanks to months of treatment.
"This place is like a home. The doctor and nurse take care of me for free, and even offer me food and a bed," she says, noting that her weight has climbed to 37kg from 23kg at the beginning of her stay.
However, local authorities last week decided to suspend the license of the clinic, which has only been operating for half a year.
"Hearing the news, I feel like I've seen some sunshine in my life, but it'll become dark all over again," He says.
In accordance with the country's regulations, such a clinic is not authorized to treat HIV/AIDS, Ding Wei, deputy director of the health bureau in Nanning, told Xinhua news agency.
"AIDS is a communicable disease. If the physician doesn't have expertise and facilities, there will be risks of cross-infection and further spreading of the epidemic," according to Ding.
No go for an NGO
The Lu Guogan clinic has provided treatment of OIs for more than 100 AIDS patients - a lucky group, of which 90 impoverished members were treated free of charge - and offered drugs worth over 200,000 yuan (US$31,600), according to Li Lin, deputy secretary general of AIDS Care China, a non-governmental organization (NGO) funding the clinic.
Although the government has been providing free antiretroviral medications for HIV/AIDS patients for years, Li and his colleagues found many patients could not afford the treatment of some OIs, which often occur when their immune system is damaged by the HIV virus.
Thus, the organization set up the clinic in partnership with the physician after whom it is named.
Facing a penalty imposed by the health watchdog agency, Li admitted defects in the clinic's operation. However, he argues that its treatment is reliable, since Lu worked for AIDS programs launched by Doctors Without Borders for seven years and spent another year studying AIDS therapy in the UK.
Lu explains the Regulation on AIDS Prevention and Treatment that began to take effect in China in 2006 stipulates that the government encourages organizations and individuals to participate in anti-AIDS initiatives and he believes the clinic is among those "being encouraged."
However, Ding's response is that the government only backs NGOs' contribution in providing counsel to AIDS patients and in AIDS testing and education campaigns.
"We actually don't expect NGOs to engage in treatment of AIDS-related diseases, because it's the job of professional agencies," Ding clarifies.
China has no less than 400 NGOs that focus on offering psychological intervention, free HIV testing and care for HIV-infected people, especially children. Nevertheless, AIDS Care China is making a last-ditch effort to persuade health authorities to revoke their decision on the Lu Guogan clinic.
Instead of suspension, Li says, "We look forward to standardizing our services under the government's supervision," Li says.
Some of his patients were denied access to the local hospital, where discrimination against HIV-infected people persists, while others were unable to afford hefty medical bills.
Why go to the clinic?
One such cash-strapped patient of Lu's is 36-year-old Huang Xin (not her real name), who says, "I'll never forget the day. I left the hospital because I didn't have a penny to continue my infection treatment. The doctor resented me, and my family gave me the cold shoulder. I wanted to kill myself by jumping off the building."
In fact, the Regulation on AIDS Prevention and Treatment provides that costs for anti-OI medications should be "properly" reduced or removed for low-income HIV-infected people and AIDS patients in both rural and urban areas.
But the policy does not work perfectly since rules for its implementation are unsound, according to Li, who explains, "Without robust supervision, some hospitals feel reluctant to carry out the policy in light of their own operating costs."
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