A community health station was opened at Dafu village in Pingtan county, East China's Fujian province, on July 1.

A free clinic was held on Monday in celebration of the launch of the station, which is the first ever to settle in a village in Pingtan.

Currently there are two doctors and three nurses at the station covering more than 10,000 people from adjacent villages including Baianwo, Dafu, Qiaojintou, Qingguanding and Yuzhuang.

The health station has streamlined departments such as a treatment room, emergency room, pharmacy and gynecological examination room to provide basic medical services for patients.

"The station gives us a sense of security," said Tang Xiaojun, a migrant worker from Chongqing who now lives in Dafu village, recalling her nightmare two years ago when she had to wait a long time to send her sick one-year-old son to a hospital.

"Now whenever my son shows any symptom, the health station is only a five-minute walk away. There are professional doctors and nurses. I feel so relieved," she added.

The station provides a variety of medical tests including ECG examinations, B-ultrasonic examinations, biochemical tests, pregnancy tests and gynecological check-ups for its patients. In addition, people above 65 can enjoy a free health examination every year.

"Before we had to take the bus to Aodong county for health check-ups. The round trip cost 10 yuan ($1.63)," said Lin Zhengrui who is in his 70s. "Now we've got a little hospital here, which is wonderful."

The health station has started to build health records for villagers nearby. The documents contain people's personal information, medical history as well as health examination records. They function not only as medical research materials but also are conducive to determining the best treatment options for them, introduced Zeng Huayong, a doctor from the Aodong Central Health Institution.

Currently downtown Pingtan has one health center and three community health stations. The health station in Dafu village is the first one to settle in a suburban area, marking a big improvement in Pingtan's public health service history.

"Dafu is 10 kilometers away from the Aodong health institution, making it difficult for villagers to receive medical attention. So we chose Dafu village as a pilot zone to speed up medical reform," said Xu Wangping, director of the Pingtan health bureau.

Two more health stations will be set up in Xilou village in Liushui town and Aoqian village in Aoqian town soon and will be expanded to more suburban areas in Pingtan, he added.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Micheal Thai