Getting there on time: Behind the '120' service

Many criticize the nation's emergency services for late response. But few know medics are over-stressed. He Na and Han Junhong report from Changchun.

When Zhang Chunsheng, a former armed police officer, died in a Hangzhou hospital last year, doctors blamed a sudden brain hemorrhage. His furious wife pointed the finger at the slow response of ambulance paramedics.

Jiang Xinyang said a crew sent by "120" - the nation's medical emergency hotline - took 35 minutes to arrive at the family's home last October, and another 15 minutes to transport her husband "just 2 kilometers to the nearest hospital".