Intel unveils IT scheme for China's rural clinics

By Zhan Lisheng (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-10-31 08:42

"No one company, no one government, can do this work alone. We are here to demonstrate what can be done with the application of IT in rural areas," said Barrett. "We will be able to take the method and duplicate it anywhere in China as well as globally."

He said Intel will carry out the initiative in 1,000 villages in five provinces over the next three years.

Praising Intel's efforts, Zhanjiang Mayor Chen Yaoguang, said the programme to digitalize rural areas in Zhanjiang will create economic opportunities for rural people, as well as improving their healthcare and living standards.

"They will have many more opportunities for business, for education and for the future," the mayor said.

"The application of IT in the healthcare system is very beneficial for the rural population," Zhang Jimei, a doctor with a local hospital in Zhanjiang, told China Daily.

"Critically ill patients will be able to be diagnosed by medical specialists hundreds of kilometres away and ambulances will upload vital medical histories as they rush patients to urban hospitals," said the doctor.

Zhanjiang farmer Huang Huaping said computers are already changing the way he lives and supports his family.

Thanks to computers and Internet access, the farmer said, he expects his crop sales to rise by 50 per cent this year, as his income climbs 30 per cent.

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