Family healthcare offered to eco-city residents

A family doctor service was made available to residents of Tianjin's developing eco-city on Friday as part of an effort to build a Singaporean-style community in the northern China port city.

A doctor will be assigned to care for every 300 to 500 households, and each resident's health records will be monitored electronically.

The service, along with green-energy buses, apartments with energy conservation systems and a recycling center for kitchen garbage, is part of a development plan for an eco-conscious community.

The Tianjin eco-city, which is to serve as a model for future Chinese cities, was jointly planned by the Chinese and Singaporean governments.

Built on a salt pan, deserted beach and water areas, the eco-city, covering a total of 30 square kilometers, has so far attracted more than 2,000 households to move to the area.

"We are expecting more households to move in as more infrastructure is built," said Cui Guangzhi, deputy director of the city's administration committee.

The eco-city, which has been under construction since 2007, will also have two rail transit lines to encourage residents to use public transportation.

Modeled after the Singaporean notion of the "neighborhood center", the eco-city will build community centers to handle grassroots and enrichment functions such as community management, healthcare, culture and sports and business services.

Liu Yang, 30, said he moved to the community because he was impressed by its facilities and focus on green technology.

"The change has been rapid over the years, and you can see improvements almost on a daily basis," he said.

Zhang said when he first moved to the area last year, there was only a small market.

Now, there are already nearly 30 shops, including home textile shops, department stores, cafes, bars and a pharmacy.

A fitness center, a library and an ecological planning museum, which are under construction, will also give him more options when spending time with his family, he said.

A hospital is under construction and will open by 2015.

Seven school bus lines are currently in service, with two international schools and one kindergarten in operation and two middle schools under construction.

Goh Chok Tong, former prime minister of Singapore, said during a recent visit that he was impressed by the rapid development of the area over the last five years.

"The community has developed over the years like a 'teenager' grows into an 'adult'," he said.

Gao Fei in Tianjin contributed to this story.