Challenges of basic public health services provided by village doctors in Guizhou, China

This study was undertaken to uncover the challenges faced by village doctors in providing basic public health services (BPHS) in western rural areas of China. This field research for BPHS, with 12 managers and 82 village doctors of county Y in Guizhou province, was conducted in July 2012 using a combination of random and purposive sampling methods. Quantitative and qualitative methods were applied for data collection. EpiData 3.1, SPSS 15.0, and NVivo 10.0 were used to analyze the data. The results showed that the main challenges in delivering BPHS include heavy workload, poor working conditions, low income, lack of social security, and insufficient cooperation from rural residents. The Chinese government officials and policy makers can consider these challenges and focus on improving the quality and equity of BPHS by developing relevant strategies.