Grassroots clinics improve access to medical treatment(2)

"Getting fundamental health services and receiving medical treatment for minor illness at grassroots clinics could effectively alleviate big hospitals' workloads and lead to the improvement of patient satisfaction," said Li.

In addition to meeting residents' basic needs, lower-level medical institutions also offer a helping hand during emergencies.

Doctors with the Yizhuang community healthcare service center in Daxing saved a woman and her twins who were prematurely delivered on the way to the hospital two years ago, according to Zheng Jinjing, vice president of the center.

Doctors quickly set up a makeshift maternity ward in the woman's car, cut the first infant's umbilical cord and then helped with the early delivery of the second baby.

"The mother was unprepared and the situation was critical. A few minutes' delay could have led to unfavorable results," said Zheng.

In addition to regular services, the center has established health archives for contracted residents and provides family-doctor consultation assistance. It has also set up a referral system along with some higher-level hospitals, helping patients with various health conditions find appropriate treatment.

There were about 918,000 grassroots medical service institutions across China by the end of 2011, including 26,000 community-based health centers, 38,000 township-level hospitals and 663,000 village clinics, according to a white paper on the country's medical and health services released on Dec. 26, 2012.

The disparity between urban and rural medical resources has been narrowed in recent years, as the three-tier rural medical service network that covers counties, townships and villages has expanded farmers' access to medical treatment.

The white paper says more than 80.8 percent of rural residents can reach medical institutions within 15 minutes.

However, it is still difficult for farmers in some remote mountainous areas to see a doctor.

In Wumeng Mountain of southwest China's Yunnan Province, villagers have to walk for hours to get to a village-level clinic due to the area's underdeveloped traffic system.

But Chen Jinzheng, a rural doctor, has managed to cut the distance by walking along rough mountain paths to see patients over the past 12 years.

The 42-year-old doctor has treated about 2,100 patients and walked more than 10,000 km of rugged roads, wearing out 50 pairs of shoes.

Many rural doctors like Chen are working hard to address the loopholes in China's rural medical service network, and more farmers have joined a new rural insurance mechanism.

The system, which took shape in the 1990s, was put into pilot operation in selected regions in 2003 to ensure farmers' access to affordable medical treatment and reduce disease-triggered poverty.

By 2011, more than 1.3 billion Chinese people had joined the three basic medical insurance schemes that cover both urban and rural residents, meaning that China has built the world's largest basic medical security network, according to Zhang Mao, vice minister of health.

The Chinese government has announced that it will establish a sound basic medical and health system covering both urban and rural residents by 2020, in order to ensure that everyone can enjoy access to basic medical and health services.