BEIJING -- China has expanded medical facilities in rural areas in the past decade to ensure its 509.8 million rural residents have access to basic medical services.

By the end of 2021, China had set up 23,000 county-level medical and healthcare institutions, 35,000 township health facilities and 599,000 village clinics across the country, the National Health Commission told a press conference Tuesday.

The establishment of health agencies has remedied the shortfall in medical resources in rural regions and enabled rural residents, or 36.1 percent of the total population, to enjoy medical services on their doorsteps, the commission said.

Programs have also been initiated to help patients from nearly 10 million families with financial difficulty, the commission added.