11 Mar 2010 13:13

Anhui to strengthen village clinic infrastructure

Shanghai. March 11. INTERFAX-CHINA - Village clinics in Anhui Province will receive an annual subsidy from the provincial government amounting to RMB 8,000 ($1,171) for every 1,200 residents from this year onwards, the Anhui Provincial Health Department announced on March 11.

According to the announcement, village clinics in regions with higher economic development will receive more subsidies. For instance, in Tongling City's Shizishan district, each village clinic can get an annual subsidy of RMB 16,000 ($2,343) per 1,200 residents.

Anhui's health care reform plan stipulates there will be village clinics in every village by 2011, equivalent to a total of 15,911 village clinics.

Furthermore, the announcement noted that Anhui will invest in the upgrading of village clinics. As such, each village clinic will receive RMB 50,000 ($7,321) to be used in construction and RMB 6,000 ($878.48) for the procurement of medical devices.

Training will also be provided for village doctors in the province. In 2009, 19,163 doctors from grassroots medical institutions completed training for community medicine and are eligible to sign up for the national examinations to become assistant licensed physicians.

In November last year, the Anhui Provincial Health Department announced that the management of village clinics would be transferred from the health department to township clinics by 2011 in a bid to standardize the management of village clinics.

- KZ