The Jiading district plans to set up 30 community health centers within this year where residents can enjoy medical service from family doctors, according to health authorities of the district.

The health centers should be located near communities. Each should be no more than 10 square meters, with at least one family doctor, one nurse and one assistant (country doctor, social worker, volunteer, etc).

Family doctors will be equipped with at least five items: an electric bicycle for them to make regular house calls, a tablet computer, a physician's bag, a set of uniform and a cellphone. The family doctors will go into communities, provide healthcare guidance and establish personalized files.

About 33.4 percent of permanent residents and 72.3 percent of people with residence permits in the district have signed up with family doctors. And a survey showed 93 percent said they felt satisfied with the service of family doctors.

Shanghai took the lead in promoting the system in May 2011 when it introduced licensed general practitioners, or GPs, at community health centers in several districts. This allows residents to receive medical advice and treatment in or near their communities, easing the pressure on large, often overloaded hospitals.

So far, Shanghai has nearly 4,000 family doctors serving 9.36 million permanent residents in 17 districts and counties of the city.

Chinese people are used to going to hospitals for everything, from a serious illness to just a cold. And the experience is often laborious. They sometimes have to wait for hours, be sent to various departments, and undergo a series of tests before a diagnosis.

Jiading will also launch campaigns to ensure more residents to learn about the idea of family doctors and establish the habit of seeking medical consultation and treatment from family doctors.