Former US president Bill Clinton opened a new pediatric HIV/AIDS clinic at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Maseru, Lesotho on Monday.

The clinic will enable greater number of children living with HIV/AIDS to receive treatment. "I am very honored to formally open this clinic, which I hope will benefit many children and families affected by HIV/AIDS," Clinton said.

He said the government of Lesotho was doing a lot to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS.

With the assistance of the Clinton Foundation, the Lesotho government began a public antiretroviral treatment program in 2004 which has enrolled about 5,000 patients countrywide.

The Clinton Foundation is providing a supply of pediatric formulation antiretroviral medicine as part of its pediatric initiative, which aims to increase the number of children receiving treatment from less than 100 presently to at least 750 by the end of the year.

The goal of the initiative, launched in April, is that more of the estimated 22,000 children living with HIV/AIDS in Lesotho will be able to received life-saving care.

During his visit to Queen Elizabeth II hospital, Clinton toured the pediatric ward, and met some of the children who recently began to receive ARVs.

The Clinton Foundation, which funded the refurbishment of the clinic, provided a supply of low cost ARVs and other medications, and facilitated clinical training for the staff.

Source: Xinhua