Courtesy of fi.edu
We don’t like needles at U.S. Democrazy, but every time the Red Cross comes around, we always end up giving blood. Why? The cookies, of course!
Imagine our surprise when we found out that people in China get money for giving blood!
But there is a good reason for the Blood Money, it’s so people will have an incentive to get tested for HIV.
This is all part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s HIV prevention campaign in China which aims to slow the spread of AIDS. As of now, about 100,000 people have been tested. And it’s easy to see why! Those who get blood drawn to be tested are paid $9, and if their results are positive they get an additional $44.
As you can probably imagine, this campaign has its fair share of criticisms. Many worry that the system is being abused and people will get tested several times a day. Others have expressed disappointment that the Gates Foundation chose to spend the money through the Chinese government.
What do you think? Does it seem unethical or are you wishing that you’re in China? Let us know!
Why do people need an incentive to get tested? It should not be that scary to take an HIV test. Just find out what you have and keep that information to yourself unless you plan to be sexually active. As well as that, why China of all places? If Bill Gates should have an AIDS program anywhere, it should be in Africa or Washington, DC.
The incentive is because otherwise it would cost money to do so, I think. And even if it’s free, a lot of people don’t care if they have HIV or not, so they wouldn’t do it, and the point of this program is to get as many people tested as possible.