Wang Yuanyuan
THE methadone treatment clinic in Liuhua Hospital, Luohu District, has received a national award by the National Commission of AIDS Prevention.
It was the second time the clinic had won the national award for an Excellent Clinic since the clinic was set up in 2007.
There are now more than 130 patients being treated at the clinic, the most in Shenzhen, the hospital said Monday.
The clinic was the only one in Shenzhen and one of the two in Guangdong Province to win the national award for methadone treatment. It also received a national award by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Public Security in 2009.
Since it was officially opened July 19, 2007, it had treated 931 patients, including 118 living in Luohu District. More than 230,000 doses had been administered, the most in Shenzhen. The treatment had effectively helped reduce criminal activity related to drugs, the hospital said.
About 68 percent of patients treated at the clinic had found jobs after successfully undergoing withdrawal and starting a normal life and 15 former patients had married.
By the end of October, more than 1,373 HIV patients had been treated at the city s five methadone treatment clinics and 720 patients were still being treated, the city center for disease control and prevention said yesterday.
In the 10 months to October, 814 HIV carriers were reported in Shenzhen, including 140 AIDS patients. Five had since died. Seven were expatriates from countries including Norway, Britain, Thailand and Nigeria.
