Shanghai residents sign up for family doctor system

More than 30 percent of Shanghai's residents have signed contracts with family doctors, officials said.

In 2011, Shanghai took a national lead in establishing a family doctor system, which aims to provide residents with more convenience and ease difficulties in seeking doctors at large general hospitals.

Under the system, residents receive diagnosis and treatment from contracted family doctors working at community health centers.

The doctors will transfer patients to larger hospitals if necessary and also provide regular health visits for them.

"Over the past years, the family doctor system has been implemented smoothly in the city and has produced good results," Xu Jianguang, director of Shanghai Health and Family Planning Commission, said in an online interview at eastday.com, the city's news portal.

Shanghai has more than 3,200 family doctors, and some 5.88 million residents have signed contracts with them, accounting for 32 percent of the city's total.