The urban and rural poor in Shaanxi Province will be guaranteed basic medical care and enough social security to maintain the minimum standard of living, thanks to projects launched by the local government.

Plans have been drawn up by the provincial bureaux of civil affairs, health, labour and social security and finance to start a trial project aiming to give medical support to urban poor people in 25 counties and cities within two years.

"And from 2007, an urban medical support system for poor people will be set up in every district in Shaanxi in two or three years, to practically provide better medical conditions for poor people," said Geng Qingyi, deputy director of the Shaanxi Provincial Health Bureau.

Shaanxi has 108 counties, cities and districts in which many people live without proper medical security.

"The first step of the project is to work out how many people need help, and then it will focus on managing a medical support system, operating it and raising funds for it," Geng said.

The deputy health director said preparations had been done and trial work would be carried out from September. The first actual financial aid will be available to poor people in October.

Liu Yanqi, a 76-year-old urban resident in Xincheng District in Xi'an, the provincial capital, said his illness was a burden on his family and the new plan would certainly help.

There is more good news for Xi'an's farmers. The city is officially implementing a policy this month where poor rural people will get social security payments to enable them to live at a minimum living standard.

Han Jianxu, deputy secretary-general of the municipal government, said Xi'an has been carrying out investigations since 1998 into how much people need to live on in order to maintain a minimum living standard. Rapid social and economic development has left some behind, hence the need to help out to at least a minimum standard.

Xi'an has a rural population of some 4 million, of which 180,000 are poverty-stricken people and some 50,000 poor families are living without enough food and clothing, the official told China Daily.

"A 750 yuan (US$90) pension a year for a person is considered to be the minimum amount needed for farmers to maintain a living standard in six major districts of Xi'an. In other counties and districts, 650 yuan (US$78) is needed to ensure a basic living for a farmer," said Du Suoqiang, director of the Xi'an Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau.

"The new policy will help old people, unemployed youths and disabled people who have no income, no ability to work and no legal dependants; those who suffer from disease and natural disasters and others who have been living in particular difficulty for a long time (more than one year)," the civil affairs director said.

Alongside the new welfare system, the local government will provide farmers with some support measures for technical training, production support, farm produce marketing, medical insurance, education for children and legal services, to ensure poor people are able to maintain a basic living standard at the very least, Du said.

(China Daily July 13, 2005)