Guizhou's retired doctors asked to serve in rural clinics

Retired medical experts should lend their expertise to rural area clinics, a political adviser proposed at the ongoing session of the 11th Guizhou provincial committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Committee.

Sun Fa, a professor with Guiyang Medical University and a member of the committee, proposed that retired doctors should work in smaller hospitals and rural clinics to help improve them.

According to his studies, about half of 600 retired doctors with senior professional titles from the province's five top hospitals are healthy enough to work in rural clinics.

Guizhou currently has 41,137 medical staffers in township clinics. Forty percent of them only hold degrees from professional secondary schools while some are working without a medical degree. The majority of these doctors only have junior professional titles.

Other political advisers at the session supported the proposal.

"In the medical field, senior doctors have more experience and most of them are still in good health, so it is a pity that these retired experts are not using their expertise to help more people," said Wang Fuyu, chairman of the provincial CPPCC committee.

The number of retired medical workers with intermediate and senior professional titles exceeds 9,400 in the capital Guiyang. Ten percent, according to Sun, are simply resting at home.

A recent survey from the provincial health department showed that more than 200 retired doctors that used to work in provincial hospitals are willing to continue working.

"To promote the project, we should create a positive public opinion atmosphere to encourage more retired doctors and make them feel honored to work in the countryside," said Hou Lijiang, deputy director of the provincial human resources and social security bureau.

Hou added that the government will offer competitive salaries to the retired doctors.