WUHAN — Hu Qun, a 27-year-old case manager for AIDS patients in Central China, was lost in thought when reading the words on a silk banner gifted to her: "Thank you for your companionship along my way from the dark abyss to brightness."

Thursday marked this year's World AIDS Day, which aims to raise public awareness of the disease. The thank-you gift was sent by an AIDS patient in his 20s. "I wish him all the best," says Hu.

She was once a nurse with little knowledge of AIDS at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, but about three years ago, Hu began to work as a case manager in the hospital's "caring clinic". Hu now provides individualized psychological counseling and medical treatment services for AIDS patients.

Over the past three years, Hu has helped nearly 800 AIDS patients. She feels fulfilled whenever those who used to be resistant to medical treatment and gave up their hopes for life gradually face their reality and bravely return to their normal life.

In 2015, several major cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan, began to recruit and train such case managers to support the antiviral treatments of the country's AIDS patients. The new program seeks to help AIDS patients lift themselves up and to assist them in getting medical treatment, thus curbing the further spread of the disease.

The patients often easily shrink into themselves due to social discrimination and stigma over the disease, and delay treatment out of shame and fear. They even lose control of their emotions leading to behavioral issues because of a lack of confidence to fight the virus over the long haul.

In 2019, Hu joined the cause of helping AIDS patients face the disease head-on. "It's hard for them to accept the fact when their infection is confirmed. They are often unavailable when local disease prevention and control authorities conduct follow-up visits," recalls Hu.

"Some get depressed, self-contained and unwilling to receive any medical treatment as their family may lack enough understanding of the situation," Hu adds.

"Only by becoming their most trusted person can you truly help them. An eligible AIDS case manager needs to know about the disease, its antiviral treatments and relevant policies. We also need to have good communication skills and provide love and care for the patients," Luo Yanhe, head nurse of the care clinic, explains.

Hu still remembers an old woman she met at the clinic, who huddled with tears in her eyes while her family kept a distance from her.

Hu didn't ask about her symptoms immediately, but chose to listen to her stories first. After the patient gradually calmed down, Hu then began to extract key information about her disease and reported back to the doctor to make a tailored therapy plan.

Currently, the special clinic at Jinyintan Hospital has six AIDS case managers. The number of patients there has grown from over 400 to more than 4,000 since 2015.

"We have online chat groups with the patients, where we can remind them to take medicine in time and answer their questions instantly. We refer to the medicine as 'candy' and always ask if the patient is OK to pick up the phone before we make the call," says Hu, adding that it is all done to better protect their privacy.

The managers also participate in training programs, collaborate with social organizations to carry out auxiliary treatment, discuss how to provide patients with guidance on health, medication compliance and other aspects, and offer necessary psychological counseling for both patients and their families.

"I'm looking forward to wider social participation in fighting the disease so that everyone can learn more about AIDS, treat the patients equally, and there will be no discrimination against the infected," says Hu, adding that she will continue to help the patients with love and care and make them feel accepted and understood.