Who cares for the village doctors?(2)

Luochuan county is well-known for its apples that sell internationally. This has allowed local farmers to boost their income, with flash cars appearing around the villages. This has meant that the subsidies for village doctors have paled in comparison to the yearly income of local families.

If it weren't for Shi and Zhang's wives making extra money working on their apple farms, the two doctors would have trouble supporting their families.

In May 2012, when local people were busy trimming the apples to ensure the larger ones grow to term, Zhang was awoken at 11 at night.

A 9-year-old boy was suffering from a high fever. Zhang only returned home hours later and gave up on his night's sleep.

"So long as I take on the job, I must try my best to do it well," he said. This is a pet phrase among village doctors, since Ma Wenfang also expressed this attitude to the Global Times in a phone interview.

Ma, 62, is from Suliuzhuang village, Tongxu county, Henan Province. He has been a doctor for over 40 years. "No matter how many honors I've got, I'm still a farmer and a village doctor. I'm always proud of this," he said.

Ma is a representative at the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) but still receives patients from his village and the surrounding areas.

Besides the poor salaries earned by village doctors, what most concerns Ma is who will take up the post when doctors like him retire. Ma has an idea about how to attract young graduates to work in the countryside.

"Village doctors should have a similar salary and social welfare as those working in town and county hospitals," he proposed.

Forgotten group?

Village doctors have been deemed as heroes fighting on the very frontline of the country's vast healthcare system. However, for decades, they have been officially considered as farmers, with practicing medicine only a part-time job - they are not on the public-owned hospitals' pay rolls and they are not covered by the pension system like other doctors working in the city hospitals.

When healthcare reform was carried out in recent years, which brought greater benefits to rural residents, these doctors seemed to be left behind. Mass petitions by village doctors were reported in many areas across the country, calling for greater respect and equal welfare with urban counterparts.

When village doctors were invited to meet Li Keqiang in January this year, one made his concerns very clear, namely a lack of training opportunities, inadequate facilities, great risk, low income and no pension.

In truth, the authorities have been trying to address these problems in recent years.

"They made just several hundred yuan a month. If they were treated the same way as village teachers (many included in government pay roll), many problems would have been solved," said Minister of Health Chen Zhu at the annual session of the National People's Congress in 2009 (NPC).

According to a report by the China News Service on January 25, the Ministry of Health said pilot programs for village doctors under contract will be carried out in some areas, and special subsidies will be provided while a pension system will be established.