Two sanitation workers in Tianxin district, Changsha show off their health insurance cards. [Photo by Shi Zhenzhuan/Changsha Evening News]

The government of Tianxin district in Changsha, Hunan province recently launched a policy to provide financial support for its sanitation workers with critical illnesses, Changsha Evening News reported, citing the local sanitation department on Dec 29.

It's another major welfare the district's sanitation workers enjoy, after they began to be covered by social insurance at the beginning of 2014, said the local news portal.

At present there are around 1,500 sanitation workers in Tianxin district, most of whom come from rural areas. They basically cannot afford the high cost of the medical treatment if they are subject to some critical illness.

The relief policy will be shouldered by the local federation of trade unions and the sanitation bureau and it will come into effect on January 1, 2015.The district has also built 10 duty rooms for sanitation workers this year, and another 30 are expected to be completed in 2015.