1 million farmers now have family doctors

More than one million villagers in Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, now have family doctors after signing service agreements in local clinics last year.

Hechi began deep reforms of its grassroots medical system in 2012, complying with the national and Guangxi's policy directions and requirements.

Rural doctors sign service agreements with residents in Bagong town, Jinchengjiang district. [Photo/hcwang.cn]

Huanjiang Maonan and Dahua Yao autonomous counties took the lead and contracted services among rural doctors. Two community health service centers in the urban area also established a team of family doctors to explore the new scheme.

Last year, Hechi began to promote the rural doctor contracted service scheme in all counties and districts, which became an assessment item for doctors' performance appraisal, salary, and subsidies. At present, all 11 counties in Hechi have carried out the scheme.

Hechi has 139 towns and 1,587 administrative villages with 1,595 village clinics. By the end of last year, more than 1.14 million people in 395,000 rural households were benefitting from the scheme with 1,593 rural doctors and 2,069 health center doctors involved. About 40.44 percent of lower income households are covered by the contracted services.