More than 200 homosexual men received free physical examinations in Beijing, as part of a new health care initiative launched by the Chaoyang Chinese AIDS Volunteer Group.
The Beijing Morning Post reports many men brought their partners to take the exam with them. Most of them were around 30 years old. They received tests for sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDS, as well as psychological consultations.
Xiao Dong, the head of the Chaoyang Chinese AIDS Volunteer Group, organized the event. He said they aim to raise homosexual men's awareness and knowledge of health issues. To protect the men's privacy, the newspaper says the patients were exempted from having to register with their real names. Instead, they were given cards with a number and password, which they will use to check their results on the group's website.
Xiao says the Chaoyang District Diseases Prevention and Control Center will distribute 50,000 cards for free health checks in gay bars and communities throughout China's capital city. The card holders will be able to collect free condoms at a designated place twice a month.
He also says the center will dispatch medical staff to entertainment venues to provide free examinations to this HIV/AIDS high-risk group. They then plan to expand the program to migrant laborers in the future.
