Lu Yuqin (R) offers medical consultation to a senior in Xijiegang village. [Photo/zjg.wenming.cn]

Lu Yuqin, a 45-year-old rural doctor, has been providing medical services in Xijiegang village, Zhangjiagang, East China's Jiangsu province for the past 27 years.

Lu started working in the village's health center at the age of 18 in 1994 when the 50-square-meter clinic only had rudimentary medical devices.

At the beginning of her medical career, she constantly picked up new skills in her spare time by undergoing professional training and learning from experienced doctors. Lu even took to administering intravenous injections on her family members to improve her skills.

Once, a villager with a 12-month-old infant went to Lu to get an injection after doctors in other health centers were not able to locate the veins in the baby. Lu successfully administered the injection on her first try.

Owing to Lu's excellent medical skills, Xijiegang village health center received 19,000 outpatients in 2000, the highest among surrounding health centers, said Qian Zhifang, former head of the Xijiegang village health center.