BEIJING, May 24 -- In 2023, the Chinese central government will finance the study of 6,150 medical college students who will work in the country's less-developed central and western regions, the Ministry of Education announced Wednesday.

The ministry cited a circular of its general office, saying that the central government will provide financial support to offer five years of free undergraduate education at the country's medical colleges and universities.

Free education is predicated on the condition that when the students finish their studies, they serve in township clinics in the central and western regions.

According to the circular, such a program is open only to students from rural areas, and the candidates also need to attend the national college entrance exam of the year.