General practitioners rank among China's most in demand talents. The medical professionals are some of the unsung heroes of the country's health care system, treating acute and chronic illnesses among those most vulnerable in urban and rural communities.

80-year-old Ms. Chen suffers multiple ailments, including stroke, fractured feet and back sores. Despite receiving treatment at major hospitals, she still endures daily pain.

Ms. Chen's daughter said "Big hospitals have too many departments. The department that treated her feet, ignored the pain in her back, so when she was discharged from hospital, her back hurt more."

Since transferring to this community hospital, Ms. Chen has received better health care. General practitioners provided her with improved treatment after assessing her various ailments.

Many more people are turning to general practitioners to receive more personalized care in smaller community clinics.

Patient in Beijing said "GP's are kinder to us than doctors in major hospitals. We are happy to talk to them. This allows us to recover more quickly."

Such satisfation is in contrast to the rising public complaints about the difficulty of accessing affordable and quality service in major hospitals. Hospitals in first-tier cities are particularly under strain. Patients there wait for hours, even days, to see well renowned doctors.

But grassroots level is short of general practitioners. Most medical grduates would choose to go to major hospitals, which provide a much higher pay.

Dr. Huang works as a GP in Guangzhou. Despite 11 years of development in the district he works for, many community clinics still lack doctors like himself. Dr. Huang believe graduates do not fully understand the value of working as a GP.

Dr. Huang Songmin, GP of Guangzhou said "Many graduates think general practitioners are just doctors who treat all diseases. That's not true. They provide health care services to the whole community. This includes educating people on how to lead healthy lifestyles."

Last month, a State Council meeting last month vowed to ensure every community medical clinic has a team of qualified general practitioners. Doctors at other hospitals are also being encouraged to work at community clinics, with government subsidies provided for those who work in remote and less-developed regions.

Experts have called for a national standard in recruiting general practitioners, so that more doctors can help patients receive quality health care in their own communities.

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