Authorities have set up a pilot program in 12 counties and cities in nine provinces to provide free one-stop antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS patients, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on August 2.

Patients in areas where the trial is being conducted will receive rapid access to antiretroviral therapy if they are diagnosed with HIV, the center said.

According to the center's AIDS Treatment and Care Division, HIV/AIDS patients used to spend two months traveling between local disease control centers and hospitals to receive the therapy.

According to statistics from the center's nationwide surveillance network, China has more than 390,000 registered HIV/AIDS patients.