Amsterdam gets AIDS institute named for MH17 victim Joep Lange

Joep Lange, the renowned HIV/AIDS researcher that died in the disaster with flight MH17 last year, will not be forgotten in Amsterdam. A medical institute called the Joep Lange Institute will be opening in the capital. The University of Amsterdam is also establishing a lectern named after the Aids researcher. The Joep Lange Institute will be established at the end of this year, NOS reports. Its aim will be to provide access to good health care to the poorest people in developing countries. "It is aimed at pushing the limits in health care especially in the third world", Onno Schellekens of PharmAccess, one of the initiators, told the broadcaster.  private party from the United states has already made 20 million dollars available for the establishment of this institute. The University of Amsterdam is also establishing a special lectern for International Health Care named after Joep Lange. The lectern will rotate between international scientists selected by the board of the AMC and University of Amsterdam, and is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "The chair will be held by former colleagues of Joep, top scientists from the US, Europe and Asia and Africa, coupled with rising talent", Schellekens explained. Joep Lange, a professor of infectious diseases, was considered a pioneer in the field of AIDS prevention. He was one of the first to experiment with the so-called "cocktail" of anti-HIV drugs. He also brought treatment to AIDS patients in Africa, by teaming up with brewer Heineken, who wanted to treat its 30 thousand employees in seven African countries. Other large companies, and later even governments, followed suit, resulting in more than 10 million African people being treated.