BEIJING — China will advance poverty alleviation in healthcare and ensure all medical institutions at county, township and village levels in impoverished areas reach set standards by 2020, according to the National Health Commission.

Hu Qiangqiang, a spokesperson for the commission, said on Jan 10 that high-level hospitals in China will help their county-level counterparts in poor regions with talent building, and each township-level institution will have one general practitioner by 2020.

Telemedicine services will cover all township-level hospitals in poor regions. Screening of breast and cervical cancers for rural women and screening for newborns in poor areas will make further progress, Hu said.

Incentives will also be raised for medical professionals working at grassroots-level hospitals. Individuals who are impoverished by major or chronic diseases could be further compensated, Hu said.