In a revolutionary move, the Chinese government has opened its first gay health clinic.
For years the communist government either ignored or rejected its gay citizens, but with HIV on a horrific rise there, officials have finally admitted that something needs to be done.
Hassan Mirza reports:
The clinic will provide free HIV tests and treatments and for other STIs, according to the Xinhua news agency. It will be managed and run by the Disease Prevention and Control centre and an HIV/AIDS volunteer group in Chaoyang District.
Although China has spent nearly £20 million on AIDS treatment in the past three years, International HIV/AIDS organisations have put pressure on China to do more in HIVAIDS education.
A Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS, or UNAIDS, warned that up to 10 million people in China could be infected by 2010 without more aggressive prevention measures.
Though it may seem as if the government has had a major change of heart, it has only agreed to keep the clinic open for a one-year trial period.
Of course, once China takes over the world, they’ll no doubt open more…
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Kevin
They can do more. This is a good step. More is needed. Most gay Chinese people don’t even know about HIV/AIDS.