Residents in Shinan district, Qingdao, are benefiting from increasingly accessible healthcare services delivered directly within their communities.

In Badahu subdistrict, elderly residents are helped by local clinic services. "We can check our blood pressure and blood sugar and get medication advice without leaving our compound," said a resident surnamed Teng.

Under the Healthy China initiative, Shinan has been developing 11 pilot communities to shift healthcare from hospital-based treatment to proactive community-level services.

At the Jinhu community health center, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner Xu Naiyuan provides acupuncture for residents, helping manage chronic conditions and promote preventive care. Community-based TCM services have reduced the need for long hospital visits for routine treatment.

In the Yanfu community, family doctors conduct scheduled weekly visits, while community health teams have organized more than 50 health education sessions this year, covering topics such as lifestyle guidance and chronic disease prevention. Bedridden residents also receive regular home visits.

Across the district, healthcare services are becoming more integrated. Community doctors work with hospital specialists to provide services ranging from pediatric nutrition advice to senior fitness programs.

Currently, 148 family doctor teams are serving more than 320,000 residents in Shinan. All community health centres now offer traditional Chinese medicine services, with 54 hospital specialists assigned to the clinics. Reliable medical support is becoming increasingly accessible to local residents.

Doctors measure the leg thickness of elderly residents at a community clinic in Shinan, Qingdao. [Photo/WeChat account: qdweishinan]

Hospital specialists come to a community and work with local doctors to diagnose patients. [Photo/WeChat account: qdweishinan]