Yunnan introduces innovative testing method

Jia said conventional confirmatory testing that requires sophisticated laboratories and equipment costs about 200 yuan ($30) per patient. The new diagnostic approach involving four rapid tests costs only 50 yuan per patient.

Estimates show that blanket application of the new method in the province would reduce testing costs by 5 million yuan a year, she said.

This is also in line with international best practice, according to Bao Yugang, China director and Asia deputy chief of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a US-headquartered nonprofit organization providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 910,000 people in 39 countries.

Many countries have implemented the multiple rapid tests for HIV confirmation, which has been easy and cost-effective, he said.

In 2015, the World Health Organization also recommended that member countries should practice the new approach, particularly in regions with relatively higher HIV/AIDS prevalence.

Welcoming Yunnan's gradual shift to the new approach, Bao urged other areas of China to follow suit and adopt the more efficient method of HIV diagnosis.

Jia agreed, but said the initiative in Yunnan is being implemented cautiously.

Medical institutions and doctors using the new testing method must file an application with the provincial health authority first and receive related training before being given approval, she said, citing an HIV testing guideline issued by the provincial health authority in December.

"After all, accuracy of the tests is the top priority and it also takes time for frontline AIDS medical workers to understand and accept the new method," she said.

As a key task, there is an implementation target. By the end of the year, half of the province's HIV diagnoses will be made through the new testing method, she said.