A Christmas tree decorated with red ribbons, the international symbol of the fight against AIDS, is unveiled at the People's Square Metro station yesterday to mark World AIDS Day.(Photo/Xinhua)
A fund to help AIDS patients pay for treatment and reward the medical staff who take care of them was established by the Shanghai Charity Foundation yesterday, World AIDS day.
An initial 500,000 yuan ($78,160) has been raised from individual donations and Sun Minliang, its program coordinator, told Shanghai Daily it will be raising money from businesses and individuals through various projects.
Lu Hongzhou, director of Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center's infectious diseases department and an AIDS treatment specialist, said: "There are far more such funds in other countries than in China, and I hope this fund will encourage more contributions to the worthy cause."
Lu said he'd encountered many patients in need of urgent treatment but who couldn't afford it.
"In these cases the center foots the bill, but the fund is expected to relieve the problem," he said, adding that the standard of eligibility of the patients is under discussion.
The fund will also offer incentives to medical workers at the center and elsewhere in China, Lu said.
Shanghai writer Bian Bingbin was one of the first contributors to the fund and will serve as board director.
He has been raising awareness of the fight against AIDS since he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer five years ago.
"That narrow escape from death reinforced my belief that staying alive means to help others live well," Bian had written on his microblog.
