In Beijing yesterday, former US President William J. Clinton hosted a reception to celebrate the launch of a Clinton Foundation-supported program to help ensure areas of China most affected by HIV/AIDS have the qualified physicians they need.

"The Ministry of Health's and my foundation's service fellowship is to train people who are willing to serve in areas of greatest need, help those with the HIV and AIDS, and offer those already practicing in this area further training," Clinton said in a speech.

He said the HIV/AIDS Service Fellowship aims to redress the geographical mismatch between clinical expertise, centered in urban areas, and remote and rural regions disproportionately affected by the disease.

An agreement between the health ministry and the Clinton Foundation to establish the fellowship was announced on February 23.

The inaugural class of eight physicians will receive one month's advanced training in the US, and then serve eight months in a hard-hit province, not only providing treatment but also training county-level physicians, Clinton said.

He said a training center in Lixin, Anhui Province, a joint collaboration between the Chinese and US centers for disease control and prevention and his foundation, would be used as a model.

During the reception, Clinton also met six county-level physicians from the third training group, and expressed his appreciation for their work.

(China Daily September 12, 2005)