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CHINA :: Mr Wang – Patient Power He always wears a hat and a warm smile on his tanned face. He sits in the waiting room of Médecins Sans Frontières' HIV/AIDS clinic in Xiangfan, Hubei province, reading books and magazines everyday. Yet he is not waiting for doctors or nurses, but for HIV/AIDS patients and their family members. Mr. Wang used to live in a village in Henan before starting his new life in Xiangfan. He welcomes all patients coming to the clinic with an enthusiastic “Good morning”. Such a simple greeting, a smile or a hug means so much and makes patients feel at ease. “HIV/AIDS patients are seriously discriminated against,” says Mr
Wang with intense feeling. “If people know someone is infected with AIDS,
they will stay far away from them. Nobody will dare have contact or talk with
them since they’re afraid of being infected … We need to help the
patients to live within their community again. Since I am also infected, it’s
better for me to talk with the patients.” “Aside from the medical treatment, psychological assistance is also very important for HIV/AIDS patients,” says Mr. Wang. He explains that many people, including the patients themselves, did not know how the disease is transmitted. They can only live in fear. What makes them more upset is the discrimination against them by people in the community, even by their own family members. Mr. Wong told us this story about a young man: “He is very young, only 29 years old. He was a patient in an infectious disease hospital in Xiangfan. His parents had already passed away. Although he had an older brother, they had not been in contact since he became infected with HIV/AIDS. He felt so upset and depressed. One day at the beginning of March, he was desperate and thought he had no hope in life. He insisted on leaving the hospital and dropped out of his treatment. At that time, he was seriously ill. Nonetheless, since patients have the right to decide whether to continue treatment or not, Médecins Sans Frontières could not stop him. Médecins Sans Frontières helped by transporting him back to his home, as he was too weak to travel by himself. His house was located up on the hill and there was no driveway at all. I put him on my back and carried him back to his home. After that, nobody took care of him and his brother did not visit him. He was alone. One day, he burnt his home down by accident. No one was there to help him. In mid-March, he phoned Médecins Sans Frontières and asked to be taken back to the hospital again. He is in the infectious hospital now. Although he has recovered a bit after nearly a month of treatment, his brother has yet to show up. He is still hoping something will happen and change his life …” Around a month after Mr Wang told us this story, the young man passed away. Médecins Sans Frontières provided palliative care for him in the hospital, and he died in dignity without suffering. Lucy Clayton
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