In Beijing yesterday, former US President William J. Clinton
hosted a reception to celebrate the launch of a Clinton
Foundation-supported program to help ensure areas of China most
affected by HIV/AIDS have the qualified physicians they need.
"The Ministry of Health's and my foundation's service fellowship
is to train people who are willing to serve in areas of greatest
need, help those with the HIV and AIDS, and offer those already
practicing in this area further training," Clinton said in a
speech.
He said the HIV/AIDS Service Fellowship aims to redress the
geographical mismatch between clinical expertise, centered in urban
areas, and remote and rural regions disproportionately affected by
the disease.
An agreement between the health ministry and the Clinton
Foundation to establish the fellowship was announced on February
23.
The inaugural class of eight physicians will receive one month's
advanced training in the US, and then serve eight months in a
hard-hit province, not only providing treatment but also training
county-level physicians, Clinton said.
He said a training center in Lixin, Anhui
Province, a joint collaboration between the Chinese and US
centers for disease control and prevention and his foundation,
would be used as a model.
During the reception, Clinton also met six county-level
physicians from the third training group, and expressed his
appreciation for their work.
(China Daily September 12, 2005)