[9:13:36]The  press conference will start at 9:30.

[9:25:11]The Press conference on construction of central township hospitals and "360-project" in Shandong''''s 30 underdeveloped counties will start in a short while.

[9:31:11]Zhang Dekuan, spokesman of the Shandong Provincial Government

[9:31:52]Zhang Dekuan:Ladies and gentlemen, friends and journalist,

[9:32:12]Zhang Dekuan:Good morning!

[9:32:37]Zhang Dekuan:Over the past years, Shandong Provincial Government and Communist Party of China Shandong Committee have attached great importance to the rural medical work and farmers'''' health.

[9:33:16]Zhang Dekuan:People from all walks of life and press media have also showed close attention to it. In order to enhance construction of basic establishments in the rural medical sector, the provincial government has taken a series of effective measures to support construction of central hospitals in the underdeveloped counties.

[9:34:03]Zhang Dekuan:To date, construction of the central hospitals in 30 underdeveloped counties have been completed and gone into operation. Today, we invite principals of the provincial health department to introduce something concerned and answer your questions.

[9:34:27]Zhang Dekuan:Present at the press conference are reporters from central press media and press media of Hong Kong to Shandong, main provincial press media and media of Jinan City.

[9:35:02]Zhang Dekuan:Now, Mr. Bao Wenhui, spokesman, deputy secretary and director of the provincial Health Department would give a briefing on construction of the central hospitals in 30 underdeveloped counties and related information on "360 project".

[9:35:32]Bao Wenhui:Friends and journalists

[9:35:54]Bao Wenhui:Good morning! I''''d like to give a briefing on construction of central township hospitals in the province''''s 30 underdeveloped countries and "360-project".

[9:36:28]Bao Wenhui:1.Construction of central township hospitals in 30 economically-underdeveloped counties

[9:36:52]Bao Wenhui:1.1 Reconstruction of 30 central hospitals have been complete. In order to improve farmershealth and speed up the development of rural health industry, Shandong Province provided subsidies to rebuild township or county hospitals earlier than other provinces.

[9:37:10]Bao Wenhui: In 2003, the provincial authorities decided to invest 44.46 million yuan to help 30 underdeveloped counties to rebuild a central hospital each.

[9:37:52]Bao Wenhui:The planned construction floor space is 56,000 square meters. Of the total sum, 29.44 million yuan went to civil engineering projects and 15.02 million yuan to purchasing of facilities.

[9:38:26]Bao Wenhui:The province invested 15 million yuan (each hospital got 500,000 yuan of subsidies), cities put in 4.1 million yuan and counties devoted 5.9 million yuan.

[9:38:45]Bao Wenhui:Senior officials and chiefs of the province showed solicitudes for the projects. Zhang Gaoli, Party secretary and Governor Han Yuqun and other officials in charge made on-the-spot inspections or oversaw the progress of the projects through various measures. 

[9:38:58]Bao Wenhui:Linyi, Liaocheng, Bingzhou, Dezhou and Jining set up leading groups to coordinate and solve problems appeared in funds and construction. So far, 42.72 million yuan has been in place and 42.12 million yuan was spent.

[9:39:32]Bao Wenhui:Of the amount, 31.41 million yuan went to civil engineering projects and 10.71 million yuan to buying equipment. A floor space of 57,800 square meters for operations have been finished.

[9:39:48]Bao Wenhui:1.2 Results are evident after the projects in operation. Reconstruction of 30 central hospitals resulted in improvement of medical conditions and service.

[9:40:16]Bao Wenhui:According to statistics, outpatients, in-patients and operative patients increased by 27.41, 45.55 and 45.77 percent respectively.

[9:41:51]Bao Wenhui: After five central hospitals in Linyi city went into use, the annual average clinical patients rose by 70 percent and in-patients by 36 percent, while its revenue soared by 55 percent and use rate of sickbed increased more than 20 percentage points.

[9:42:12]Bao Wenhui:In the first nine months of this year, the workload of three central hospitals in Liaocheng  picked up nearly 49 percent with revenue rising by 35 percent, compared to the same period of last year.

[9:42:25]Bao Wenhui:Five central hospitals in Dezhou City dealt with 86,580 clinical patients and 4,781 in-patients, a rise of 137 and 157 percent in 2005 over the previous year respectively. Its revenues increased by 93 percent to 6.02 million yuan.

[9:42:40]Bao Wenhui:1.3 Farmers obtained boons. Farmers are the top beneficiaries of the rebuilt county hospitals. They all  praised the move  big practical work the governments at all levels did for them.

[9:43:27]Bao Wenhui:It is a project of popular trust and measure, which changed the state that farmers had to go to counties or cities  to see doctors.

[9:43:40]Bao Wenhui:The environment that farmers seek medical advice has improved. After the new clinical building of the central hospital in Caitang Township, Shanxian County was built and went into operation, farmers who went to see doctors said, the hospital is nice and clean.

[9:43:53]Bao Wenhui:We can enjoy heating supply in winter and cool air in summer here when seeing doctors. The government did a good job.

[9:44:09]Bao Wenhui:The quality of medical service  has improvd greatly. Local residents'''' common and frequently occurring diseases could not be treated effectively before due to simple facilities and inferior medical quality.

[9:44:24]Bao Wenhui:But now, the situation has changed significantly with update of township hospitals. Meanwhile four special medical sections to treat lumbago and leg pains, diabetes, liver disease and bonesetting and manipulation have been added.

[9:45:24]Bao Wenhui:2. Introduction to "360 project"

[9:46:59]Bao Wenhui:2.1  Background: As Shandong is an agricultural province with a large population, treatment and prevention of diseases in the rural areas is an arduous task, although outstanding results have been achieved in construction of central county hospitals in 30 underdeveloped counties.

[9:47:16]Bao Wenhui:There are big gaps between current status quo of the rural medical and health institutions, above all township hospitals, and  the farmers'''' increasing demand for medical services and requirements for building new socialist countryside.

[9:47:41]Bao Wenhui:It is still hard and expensive for farmers to see doctors due to rural medical industry lagging behind social and economic developments.

[9:47:58]Bao Wenhui:The phenomenon that diseases leading or returning to poverty have still existed in some places. For this reason, the general office of the provincial government made a decision in 2005 to invest180 million yuan to launch "360 project" in a bid to strengthen construction of 360 key township hospitals across the province in two years.

[9:49:10]Bao Wenhui:The major target is to upgrade those hospitals’establishment and equipment and improve service competence.

[9:49:30]Bao Wenhui:2.2  The projects’ targeted requirements are to make three breakthroughs:

[9:50:00]Bao Wenhui:A.Refit of dangerous buildings. After refurbishment, each key township hospital should boast a floor space of 2,000 square meters for operations at least, basically meeting the needs of section offices and divisional functions.

[9:50:18]Bao Wenhui:B.Allocation of necessary equipment. To make it sure that each key central hospital is equipped with urgent and necessary facilities such as X-ray machines, biochemical analyzers, B type ultrasonic diagnosis instruments , haemacytometers and ambulances so as to make a diagnosis and give treatment as well as ordinary first aid.

[9:50:40]Bao Wenhui:C.Training core medical personnel. The backbone of medical personnel of each key hospital engaged in internal medicine, surgery, first aid, medical technique, gynaecology and obstetrics, infection, operation and nursing will be selected and be trained in county or above county-level public hospitals in groups and by stages.

[9:50:52]Bao Wenhui:After half a year''''s normal training, their abilities to deal with acute, common and frequent occurring diseases, basically reaching the level of senior physician-in-charge or deputy chief physician.

[9:51:20]Bao Wenhui:2.3 Progress of the projects. In accordance with the requirements  of the provincial government, the provincial health  and finance departments issued a series of documents to guarantee the implementation of the "360 project".

[9:51:34]Bao Wenhui:So far those projects have made smooth progress.

[9:51:51]Bao Wenhui:A.By the end of May through bidding has begun. Related specialists have studies and demonstrated the main technical references of the equipment to be purchased.

[9:52:40]Bao Wenhui:C.Personnel training project has begun putting in practice. Eighty clinic hospitals with high professional level in the province have been selected as training bases.

[9:53:01]Bao Wenhui:By June 15, the first group of more than 800 core medical personnel had gone to the bases for training.

[9:53:33]Bao Wenhui:Currently, Shandong''''s rural health industry faces scarce development opportunity. The governments at all levels should enhance leadership and work out measures to do the work well in compete of the 360 projects.

[9:53:51]Bao Wenhui:We''''ll try to start a new batch of projects for rebuilding township hospitals in the later half of next year so as to change the state of lacking medical and health  resources in Shandong''''s rural areas.

[9:54:09]Bao Wenhui:3. Establishment of township hospitals to satisfy farmers'''' demands through strengthening administration and improving quality

[9:54:37]Bao Wenhui:Actual measures should be taken to enhance scientific management.  Laws, rules and regulations involving medical administration should be implemented strictly.

[9:54:54]Bao Wenhui:Reasonable checks, treatments and use of medicines should be conducted to control unreasonable rise of drug fees.

[10:01:05]Bao Wenhui:Active measures should be adopted to promote hospitals'''' internal reform. In order to mobilize staff workers'''' initiative, posts are set up according to needs and going to duty posts through competition.

[10:01:17]Bao Wenhui:Effective measures should be taken to improve medical service level and promote knowledge renewal and cultivation of talents.

[10:01:52]Zhang Dekuan:Now questions and answers start. Before raising your questions, tell us the name of your institution please.

[10:07:05]The journalists are asking  Mr. Bao Wenhui some quesetions.