CHENGDU — Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan instructed local authorities to provide policy support and make concrete actions to improve education and healthcare service in impoverished regions.

During an inspection tour to Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture of Southwest China’s Sichuan province on March 22-25, Sun asked local governments to try every effort to reduce the dropout rate, spend more resources in building boarding schools in townships and village schools and raise the salary of rural teachers.

She also told the local authorities to equip rural hospitals and clinics with better facilities and medical personnel, step up prevention and control of AIDS and reduce the cost of medical service for needy patients.