Millions of farmers in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province will have a chance to receive better medical services this year, as the local government is extending its medical service trial to 43 counties and providing more financial assistance.

The trial service started two years ago in 11 of Shaanxi's counties and its success helping rural workers with medical care prompted the move to increase the number of counties served.

The population expected to benefit from the service should increase from 2.83 million last year to 12.28 million in 2006, said Pan Liansheng, deputy governor overseeing the work in the province.

This will allow about half of Shaanxi's 24.83 million rural population to benefit, said Zhuang Changxing, official with the provincial government.

Peng Kunmin, a 47-year-old farmer lives in Luochuan County where the trial work of new medical co-operative service in 2003.   He said the medical system helped his wife recover from a serious disease.  

"My wife suffered from breast cancer and the medical treatment expense would take my family back to poverty," he said. "Thanks to the new medical service, I submitted 65 per cent of medical expense for my wife."

The new co-operative medical service provides 30 yuan (US$3.7) per year  20 yuan (US$2.5) from local government and 10 yuan(US$1.2) from a farmer  as a medical fund kept in a special account in a State-owned bank, said Zhuang, and the farmer patient can submit part of medical expense account.

Farmers in the area will eventually get an additional 20 yuan (US$2.50) this year from the central government for government medical services, said Guo Huiqiang, official with Shaanxi Provincial Finance Bureau.

He estimates that the province will provide about 120 million yuan (US$15 million) of medical service subsidy for farmer patients in 2006.