Sitting in the waiting room of Donghe Community Health Service Center in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 70-year-old local Wang Cailan shared her experience of seeking medical treatment. "I live nearby, so whenever I'm ill, I can come and get medicine right away," she said. "I even have a family doctor who visits my home when I can't leave the house due to dizziness from my high blood pressure.”

A patient and medical staff member during a consultation at Donghe Community Health Service Center, Hami, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 14, 2023. [Photo by Wang Ziteng/China.org.cn]

Being at the forefront of promoting family medical services, the center started implementing this service as early as 2015. Currently, it has established 38 home medical service teams, providing free services to more than 46,000 residents. 

"We've been promoting family medical services through both online and offline channels, and our efforts have received support from the community," said Yang Hongpeng, an official who has been working at the center for 10 years.

This August, the National Health Commission issued a series of initiatives to facilitate people's access to basic medical and health services at the grassroots level. "Now, all public hospitals in Hami have achieved mutual recognition of test results. If advanced medical services are needed, we can directly refer patients to higher-level hospitals through a fast-track process," Yang explained.

With the support of government, the center is able to provide high-quality traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) services. Yang mentioned, "The government has invested nearly 500,000 yuan (about $70,322) in building our TCM clinic. Now, residents can receive TCM therapy directly here, and all TCM expenses are covered by medical insurance."

Chief physician Lu Lihe writes a prescription for a patient at Donghe Community Health Service Center, Hami, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 14, 2023. [Photo by Wang Ziteng/China.org.cn]

To further improve the availability of medical resources, many physicians from higher-level hospitals have joined the center. "The Hami Municipal Health Commission has assigned experts to work at the grassroots level," chief physician Lu Lihe explained. "I've been working at this center since 2018, and I'm willing to come to the grassroots level to alleviate the medical pressure and solve the residents' prominent medical problems."

Local resident Maistoranmu Yusuf and her granddaughter at Donghe Community Health Service Center, Hami, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 14, 2023. [Photo by Wang Ziteng/China.org.cn]

Maistoranmu Yusuf, 63, brought her 3-year-old granddaughter here for tuina (Chinese medical massage). "The proximity of the center to our home, coupled with its excellent service, has made it the go-to medical facility for our entire family," Yusuf said.