Society

Every township hospital to get at least one certified doctor

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-01-12 22:11

BEIJING: The Chinese government has vowed to ensure at least one certified doctor for every township hospital by 2011 to improve health care in rural areas.

The central government will financially support the recruitment of more than 3,000 certified doctors for township hospitals from 2009 to 2011, and encourages localities to recruit more if possible, said Deng Haihua, spokesman of the Ministry of Health, at a press conference on Tuesday.

Uneven distribution of medical resources between rural and urban areas has been one of the major obstacles that prevent millions of rural Chinese from receiving convenient health services.

The government will encourage more medical university graduates to settle down and serve in rural areas with various preferential measures, Deng said.

The country will provide in-job training for 360,000 medical personnel at township hospitals and 1.37 million others in villages in three years.

The central government will also increase financial support for the construction of medical infrastructure and of a contingent of talents in central and west regions, according to the spokesman.