A week-long national public health campaign kicked off on Sept 9 in the Kelan county of Xinzhou, North China's Shanxi province.

A week-long national health campaign to serve the public kicks off on Sept 9 in Kelan county of Xinzhou, North China's Shanxi province. 

Li Bin, minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, attended the launching ceremony and made a speech.

She said extreme poverty areas are the priority in this year’s free health-care service campaign.

Ten national medical teams were sent to impoverished areas to provide medical services for local people, added Li.

She said she hopes that all medical staff in the campaign will serve the people professionally and enthusiastically.

Since 2013, the week-long national health campaign - starting in the third week of September - has mobilized nearly three million health staff to provide service in old revolutionary base areas, poverty-stricken areas and regions densely inhabited by ethnic groups.

So far, nearly 6,000 patients around the country have received services.

This year, the campaign was co-launched by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Health Bureau of the Logistics Support Department, Central Military Commission.