Legal Rights for Aids Patients

Chinese patients with HIV-Aids will be legally protected from discrimination under a law unveiled yesterday.

China, with an estimated 650,000 cases of HIV infection, has taken several steps in the past two years to tackle the virus. The government has promised free tests and drugs for poor rural people who are infected. Last year, the authorities reported 70,000 new cases - well below the worst forecasts of the World Health Organization, but still a cause for concern.

Prejudice remains widespread, which deters people from having tests, and raises questions about the accuracy of estimates. To deal with this, the new law, which will come into effect on March 1, will protect the rights of marriage, employment, medical care and education for patients and their families.

Joel Rehnstrom, country coordinator of the UN Aids program’s China office, described the new legislation as a step forward. "This indicates good progress, showing the strong commitment of the Chinese leadership," he said.

However, Aids activists argued that the law was merely a rehash of existing policies. "The problem in China is not the lack of laws, but whether these laws will be implemented by local governments," said Hu Jia, an HIV campaigner.