Beijing will provide free treatment to those AIDS patients and HIV carriers with a Beijing residence permit to promote their life quality and relieve the burden on their families.

The head of the Municipal Health Bureau, Dr. Jin Dapeng, says Beijing has appointed Ditan Hospital and You'an Hospital to offer these free services. CRIENGLISH.com reported Wednesday.

Beijing also plans to set up consultation and check-up stations in hospitals and clinics. Open to the general public, they will especially target HIV-positive pregnant women to try to prevent them infecting their babies.

In addition, orphans of AIDS victims in Beijing will go to school for free and poor families with AIDS members will receive financial support from the municipal government.

By the end of last year, there were close to 1,650 AIDS patients in Beijing, 20 percent of whom were local residents, with the rest being from other places in China.

Since 1998, the number of HIV/AIDS patients in Beijing has been increasing by nearly 50 percent a year.

(Xinhua News Agency July 15, 2004)