The government will increase the number of qualified general practitioners by improving the training and incentive mechanism, according to a circular released by the State Council on Jan 24.

By 2020, every 10,000 urban and rural residents will have two to three qualified general practitioners and, by 2030, the number will rise to five.

While medical schools are to open more programs to train general practitioners, teaching hospitals are encouraged to open departments of general practice so that students can have adequate internship.

The government will work to increase salaries and conditions of general practitioners. Those who have bachelor’s degrees and work at grassroot clinics will be equal to specialists who have master’s degrees in payment and promotion, according to the document.

The government also pledged to enhance the occupational attraction of general practitioners, make their allocation reasonable in rural and urban areas, and encourage stable interaction between practitioners and residents.

Training a good number of qualified general practitioners is expected to ease the huge workload on big public hospitals, and is important to strengthen grassroots healthcare service, the circular stated.