In central China's Hunan Province, about 90 percent of local rural doctors are "unqualified", according to the provincial health and family planning commission.
A rural doctor in Hunan told Xinhua that without a license, they are always regarded as "unofficial medicine practitioners" and are susceptible to medical disputes. They are not covered by the social insurance system like their urban and township counterparts.
"If you get involved in a medical dispute, you could be charged with 'illegal medical practicing'," the doctor said. "I've been working as a doctor for decades, but am I officially a doctor? I cannot say for sure."
Poor career prospects are another pain ailing the profession.
In his office in the remote Pingshan County, Guizhou Province, Deng Guangfu frets over the difficulties of keeping doctors for the county hospital.
Deng, an official with the county's health and family planning center, said stories of struggling rural doctors are abound, making new doctors frightened of being stuck in the countryside forever.
"Many of those having been employed by the hospital just walked away after seeing gray-haired doctors still working in the poorly equipped hospital after so many years," Deng said. "Some doctors sent to Guizhou's cities for study never returned."
MORE ATTENTION NEEDED
Experts say more attention should be given to village doctors if China wants to maintain quality medical service in rural areas.
Li Guangyi, a researcher with Guizhou's health and family planning commission, said that the government should step up investment, enhance free medical training and improve welfare of village doctors to provide better services for rural residents.
Authorities have rolled out a series of measures to help rural doctors lead better lives.
In March, the State Council, China's cabinet, released a document for better treatment of village doctors.
The document ensures one doctor for every 1,000 rural residents. These rural doctors will get extra training for free, better opportunities to further education, preference in their future careers, along with higher pay and pensions.
More preferential policies will be rolled out to improve the livelihood of village doctors, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
"I hope that in the future, village doctors can live better lives so that we truly want to stay in our jobs," said Sha Jishu, a village doctor in Guizhou.
