However, the national drive also faces difficulties.

"Some counties and towns do not have enough financial power to supply their portion in the fund," said NPC deputy Xu Geliang, a hospital head in Anhui Province.

In addition, many clinics are in shortage of eligible doctors and equipment. In over 1,600 clinics in China's east Anhui Province, there are only 723 college graduates, less than two percent of the total number of doctors. Half of the clinics are not equipped with stomach pumps and 30 percent without electrocardiographs.

For village clinics, the situation is even worse.

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