China secures income for village doctors

BEIJING - Local authorities across China have come up with a way of securing financing for village doctors through multiple channels, according to statement issued Friday by the country's inter-ministry coordination office on healthcare reform.

A report in 2009 revealed that China had over one million such doctors, who are usually stationed in villages while having common difficulties in accessing pension or social insurance systems.

The income of village doctors used to rely heavily on medicine sales, a practice ruled out by the national basic medicine system introduced two years ago.

The statement briefed that, by adjusting the service fee charged in rural clinics and allocating more medical insurance funds to covering those appreciations, local authorities had effectively secured the incomes of village doctors.

So far, 16 provincial regions had devoted 40 percent or more of the government input on basic rural healthcare services to doctors stationed in villages, and 24 regions had implemented the insurance-backed service fee system, according to the statement.

A fixed special government allowance for village doctors has also been introduced in many regions to prevent drops in doctors' income, it added.

Last July, China issued a guideline calling for one clinic for each village or a village doctor for every 1,000 rural residents in order to improve healthcare services in the countryside.