East China metropolis Shanghai will set up a free 24-hour hotline to provide information on local health services, give suggestion on health care and recommend hospitals and doctors, officials from the Shanghai Health Bureau said yesterday during an announcement of this year's work plans.

The hotline, 12320, is expected to be in operation by July, and will provide service in both Chinese and English.

Also this year, the city will provide free physical checks for all farmers more than 80 years old living in the outskirts and set up another 15 first aid centers with 30 more ambulances to improve its ability to deal with emergencies.

In 2005, local residents' average life span reached 80.13 years. The mortality rate for pregnant women was 1.4 in every 100,000 and the mortality rate for infants was 3.78 in every 1,000. All were in line with developed countries.

The city has finished pilot programs on prevention and control of hypertension and diabetes in 33 neighborhoods, setting up a database and treating some 200,000 hypertension patients and over 20,000 people with diabetes.

A cancer management system will also be set up to administrate the 90,000-odd cancer patients being discharged from hospital to stay at home.

The city established 10 delivery centers for migrant women in August, 2004. So far, the centers have served more than 18,000 women.

(Shanghai Daily February 21, 2006)