HIV test kits sold in China’s university vending machines at massive discount
Anonymous process aims to remove stigma of being tested
Sitting alongside packs of instant noodles and cans of soft drink, a northern Chinese university is offering HIV testing kits in its updated vending machines.
Harbin Medical University is the second university in Heilongjiang province to sell the test kits through vending machines, joining the Harbin University of Science and Technology, Xinhua reported.
The move is part of an HIV prevention initiative by the Chinese Association of STD and HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control (CASAPC), which installed nine of the specialised vending machines in five universities across China last year.
Students can purchase the test kits for 30 yuan (US$4.35), almost 10 times less than the average market price, and drop urine samples into a deposit drawer in the specialised machine.
CASAPC staff members retrieve the samples and conduct the tests. Students can view the results on the centre’s website by entering a unique code, according to Zhao Donghui, an HIV specialist with the association.
“The whole process is anonymous,” he was quoted as saying.