Brick 3 - Zhen Guan Ai
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
TO 103 PEOPLE LIVING WITH AIDS
AB-Ultrascanner would ensure 103 people living with HIV/AIDS in rural Jilin China are not left behind at a time when medical service provision is improving throughout the country. The total cost for the scanner is €3,700 (₤3000 or $5,400)
DR. ZANG & ZHEN GUAN AI
Dr. Zang Li Quan drives to work every morning from Jilin City to the small farming village of Chuan Ying in Sou Deng County.The drive takes about two hours depending on the weather. We were lucky enough to have favorable weather conditions when we visited Dr. Zang that day. He was very happy to show us his work in the village and one could hear the pride in his voice as he talked about his work.He however, failed to mention the award that he recently received from the Chinese government honoring him as one of the 100 persons within and outside China who made outstanding achievements in their fields of expertise and has made important contributions to Chinese society.Dr. Zang, a 35 year old country doctor, was honored by the Chinese Premier himself for his work in Sou Deng County in helping farmers with HIV and AIDS get the necessary medical attention they need.An illustrious award that is not to be taken lightly, but Zang knows his priorities, and right now he needs an ultrasound scanner for his patients.
Dr. Zang heads the day to day operations of Zhen Guan Ai HIV Outpatient Service Center Unit, in Chuan Ying Village, Jilin Province.The area has a great concentration of HIV cases, as old as 15 years, all from farming communities who sold their blood to blood traffickers to make ends meet.The government realizing the seriousness of the HIV cases in the area set up a center in the village 7 years ago, and Dr. Zang, together with 6 other staff members that comprise of 2 doctors, 2 nurses and a janitor work for Home AIDS.
The Center gets more than 500 visits a month from Chuan Ying and its 32 neighboring villages.It provides outpatient care for people with HIV and AIDS from awareness and consultations to diagnoses and treatment. Using government provided free medication; the center manages the regimen of treatment which people with HIV and AIDS have to deal with and also the illnesses that come with HIV/AIDS.All the men, women and children who come to the center are from farming communities who do not have access to medical facilities and the center is the nearest and most convenient place for them to get the necessary consultation and treatment. They also provide house visits on a regular basis for patients who are unable to go to the center. Right now the center needs to provide a higher level of medical service to the patients. Dr. Zang says that the center needs to upgrade its facilities to keep pace with the rising standards nationally.An ultrasound scanner will ensure that the patients will receive quality medical treatment for free.“It’s hard for them to go to the city for treatment” Dr. Zang says.
“It’s very expensive in the first place and it takes them away from their farming work and most of all, the experience of regular hospitals for people living with HIV/AIDS is often difficult” He then adds, “The center provides an accepting environment for them.” This is very true. The difficulties faced by people with HIV and AIDS in rural China are close to insurmountable. They are faced with discrimination from their family, workplace and the community.
At present, the conservative estimates by the Chinese government together with WHO and UNAIDS of cases in China numbers to about 650,000 infected with HIV and 75,000 AIDS patients. By 2010, UNAIDS and other organizations have estimated that there could be a generalized epidemic with between ten and twenty million HIV positive Chinese. AIDS awareness in China has been on the rise but rural areas like Chuan Ying and its neighboring villages still lack the necessary facilities to treat and care for these patients. Aside from the medical services, the center with its simple recourses provides another important service for people with HIV and AIDS in Chuan Ying. It becomes a place where they can share the sorrows of living with the disease, a place where they would not be judged because of their positive status. As Nurse Wang said to us “They consider us as their family.”