Henan Province was once the darkest spot on the nation's HIV/AIDS landscape.

Now the province is the shining example on setting up a comprehensive healthcare system to fight the disease.

For 10 years, ever since the first case was reported in the mid-1990s, the Central China province has been in the glare of national and international media: for illegal blood sales, infections transmitted through contaminated blood, tardy reporting of cases and poor medical care as well as the sheer suffering of victims.

But now, the nation's most populous province, with nearly 30,000 reported cases of HIV/AIDS, has set up a dependable system to fight the epidemic.

After years of opprobrium, says Li Zizhao, director of HIV/AIDS control office under the Henan Provincial Health Bureau, there will be no excuses; he will let actions speak loudly.

He described how the authorities got it right in establishing a comprehensive care system sponsored and run by governments.

A province-wide system of epidemic surveillance, prevention, treatment and welfare support is in place.

Ma Jianzhong, director of the Henan Provincial Health Bureau, said the first target was to know the number of HIV carriers.

In August last year, the province tested all 280,000 farmers who sold blood in the early 1990s. Then, people who have close contact with blood sellers and other high-risk groups were tested, as well as thousands at random.

By June, the cumulative number of HIV carriers was 29,337, including 16,457 suffering from AIDS.

At least 90 per cent of the victims were infected while selling blood. And about 98 per cent of the total cases were found in rural areas.

Since the virus was found among blood sellers in 1995, Henan closed all unlicensed blood banks; and for the past seven years the province has ensured that clinical supplies are all from donors and screened.

"This way, we have completely cut the channel of HIV infection through blood transmission," Li said.

Moreover, from this year, Henan will test at least 1 million residents for HIV annually.

As part of treatment, township hospitals and village clinics have been greatly improved in areas where there are HIV/AIDS sufferers: about 98 per cent of the victims get free, timely medical treatment. The remainder, in urban areas, have access to bigger hospitals.

Infected villagers get free basic treatment and free anti-virus medicines, which are provided by the central government; and at least 100 kinds of free medicines given by the provincial government to treat various diseases caused by the virus.

Welfare services are an integral part of the system.

All HIV carriers are exempt from various taxes, whatever their business.

Each member of HIV-affected families gets 12 yuan (US$1.5) a month. And the governments give every orphan or elderly person left by HIV/AIDS victims 130 yuan (US$16) a month.

The governments encourage and pay people to take care of orphans or lonely old people.

For those orphans or elderly people who cannot find a family, the governments have established "homes" where they live for free.

And about 10,000 children from HIV families receive free school education.

(China Daily November 4, 2005)