China plans to set up a cooperative health care network by 2010 to enable China's 900 million rural residents to enjoy basic medical care.

Each province or autonomous region picked out two or three pilot counties at the beginning of the year to trial the new network.

According to the Development Research Center of the State Council (DRCSC), rural residents pay 90 percent of their medical care cost, while urban dwellers pay 60 percent. But the income of a rural resident is one-third that of his urban counterpart on average.

Without a proper health care network, some farmers are unable to afford the medical service, said Chen Xiwen, vice director of the DRCSC.

The foundation of the new network will consist of funds from central government, local government and farmers themselves.

Farmers recruited into the network will have part of their medical care paid by the network foundation.

Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi promoted the scheme during a visit to southwest China's Yunnan Province.

She said that if successful, the pilot health care network would create a good base for nationwide operation.

The network should recruit rural residents who wish to take part, she said, and the funding for the scheme should be well managed to protect the basic interests of farmers.

The central government has begun allocating 10 yuan each year for every farmer recruited to the new network in central and west China and local governments have contributed at least 10 yuan per person as well.

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