In this combo photo taken on Oct. 12, 2019, 40-year-old rural doctor Huang Lin measures blood pressure for a villager (L, top), checks dental health for a child (L, bottom), is on the way to visit a patient (Bottom, C), fills in a villager's health record (R, top), sorts villagers' health records (R, C), and is answering a patient's call (R, bottom, aerial photo), at Naguo Village of Fulong Township in Fangchenggang City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. May 19 marks World Family Doctor Day, a day to highlight the role and contribution of family doctors in health care systems around the world. China is committed to improving the quality of contracted family doctor services and enhancing community-level medical services. Family doctors, including general practitioners registered with grassroots health institutions, qualified doctors at township clinics and village doctors, provide basic medical care and other health services. In Guangxi, a major front in China's anti-poverty campaign, village doctors play an important role in the course of poverty relief in rural areas. They travel door to door to answer patients' calls, especially for those who live in hard-to-reach hamlets and under the poverty line. They are considered health guardians in towns, offering emergency response and medical support. (Xinhua/Cao Yiming)
