Feature: rural medical workers in Yunnan's Tibetan-inhabited area- People's Daily Online

Feature: rural medical workers in Yunnan's Tibetan-inhabited area

10:59, November 04, 2009

The Government of Deqen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, has hired 495 rural medical workers to provide medical services for farmers and herders in out-of-way places.

Zhang Yun, in his 60s, used to be a barefoot doctor (a farmer who received basic medical and paramedical training and worked in villages in China). After being unemployed and staying at home for years, he re-took up his old profession serving as a medical worker for his fellow villagers.

Zhang and his wife are now running a grocery store in Heping Village, Shangri-la County. In the meanwhile, he also offers medical services to villagers with minor health troubles.

"Here we are in a high-cold mountainous area, if common diseases such as cold, fever and lax are not treated in time, there may be serious consequences," said Zhang.

Previously, medical services were not easily accessible in rural areas, so farmers and herders would not go to hospitals in townships and county seats unless they were seriously ill, while usually ignoring minor illnesses. In some cases minor illnesses would develop into serious ones because of delayed treatment.

Now with the availability of rural health services, rural residents find it much more convenient to get medical treatment.

"We will treat patients as much as we can, and those beyond our capability will be sent to clinics in townships or hospitals in county seats," said Zhang. The government will purchase medicines in type and quantities according to requirements of the rural health workers, so that quality of the medicine will be guaranteed.

"The government will subsidize us 200 yuan per month each, and we can also earn a little from giving injections and subscribing to medicines. The medicines we sell 20 percent higher than their costs," said Zhang, whose clinic is visited by two or three patients everyday.

Lujin Zhuoma, head of the health center in Benzilan Township, Deqen County, said that clinics in townships and towns will make greater efforts to provide professional guidance to rural medical workers, and hold at least one training course for them each year.

To improve those workers' medical proficiency, the government has allocated 80,000 yuan for clinics in townships and towns to train them.

Source: Xinhua