Each village will have a clinic in three years

At least one medical centre will operate in every village within China by 2011, the government said.

New details of the healthcare reform package show there are plans to renovate or build more than 3,700 community clinics and 11,000 health centers.

Liu Xue'en, a professor with the department of health economics and management at Peking University, said it will take the pressure off hospitals by giving rural people access to medical centers for minor ailments such as colds.