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Society and WelfareAn Operation That Nobody Is Willing To Carry OutStatistics indicate that there are actually more than 30,000 people infected with HIV/AIDS in Guangdong province, and more than 1 million in all of China. China now has the second highest number of HIV infections in Asia. Ordinary medical prejudice together with misunderstandings about HIV/AIDS, have ostracized people with HIV/AIDS. In the words of one doctor: “the discrimination of medical staff against people with HIV is the most urgently in need of correction.” Songzi has already spent 20 days as an inpatient in Guangzhou’s Number 8 Hospital. After injecting drugs into his left leg, he developed large tumour in a blood vessel that could burst at any time. Two days prior to an operation he was tested for HIV and the results came back positive. He was transferred from a certain Guangzhou hospital to People’s Number Eight Hospital which can receive AIDS patients. The 30,000 yuan deposit for the operation was refunded. “They said if my viral levels were lowered to the point where there was no danger, they could operate,” said Songzi. Songzi has since taken expensive medication and successfully lowered the HIV viral level in his blood. “It’s basically impossible to find the virus in his blood,” said Cai Weiping, the director of the HIV/AIDS section in the Number Eight hospital. After taking anti-retrovirals for a period of time, 96-97% of the virus in his body has been wiped out, “and if there is no HIV in the blood, the risk of infection to medical staff performing the operation is extremely small.” However, the unnamed hospital Songzi booked into for the operation has not agreed to carry it out. On 25 November, this journalist visited the head doctor – Dr. Huang at the said Guangdong hospital – for confirmation. Dr. Huang confirmed telling Songzi’s mother that the hospital might be able to perform the operation, but denied saying that it would be possible if “the virus is low enough not to be dangerous”, rather saying that it would only be possible if “there weren’t any chance of infection.” But at the present time it is impossible to completely eliminate the HIV virus, and there is definitely some chance of infection, so “Songzi cannot possibly return to that hospital for the operation.” ------------- From Southern Metropolitan News, 29 January 2004 |