China will set up a cooperative health care network by 2010 to provide all of its 900 million rural residents with basic medical care.

Officials of the Development Research Center of the State Council say many farmers are currently unable to afford medical care due to a poor medical system in the countryside. And they emphasize the new health care network aims to solve this problem.

They add that each province or autonomous region will pick out two or three pilot counties at the beginning of next year to try out the new network.

Vice Premier Wu Yi has promoted the scheme during a visit to south west China's Yunnan Province. She says if successful, the pilot health care network will provide a good base for the nationwide operation.

(CRI November 22, 2003)