BEIJING -- China has honored 10 medical workers and a team of volunteer doctors as "role model doctors" for their dedication to public health as the country celebrates its second Medical Workers' Day on Monday.

The Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the National Health Commission conferred certificates of honor on the outstanding medical workers and made their stories public.

Honorees include a late vaccine pioneer who spent his life fighting against polio, an ophthalmologist who has brought sight to nearly 30,000 blind people, as well as health guardians of people living in rural and border areas.

China set Aug 19 as its Medical Workers' Day to call for respect from society for the country's more than 11.7 million medical and health workers.