Trade unions in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region are leveraging advanced technologies to deliver quality healthcare to front-line workers in remote areas, addressing long-standing barriers to medical access.

In Xinjiang, since the launch of the remote video medical service project by the autonomous regional federation of trade unions in August 2023, the initiative has reduced the costs of seeking medical care for educators, border police officers, and their families in remote southern border counties and cities in the autonomous region.

The project integrates the expertise of nearly 10,000 specialists across various fields from over 6,000 hospitals nationwide, prioritizing support for remote and challenging areas through an innovative service model.

In response to the practical difficulties faced by educators in accessing medical services in southern Xinjiang's border counties, the remote video medical service project for teachers in these regions was launched on Sept 10, 2023, in Aksu prefecture. The initiative aims to serve over 40,000 local teachers and their family members.

"This is the best Teachers' Day gift we've ever received. Even in remote areas, we can now get timely answers from experts through online consultations," said Zheng Ji, a teacher from Yecheng county, Kashgar prefecture.

The project not only provides 24/7 instant remote video medical services, but has also established dedicated service channels in Uyghur and Kazakh languages, removing language barriers.

Tursungul Tursun, a teacher from a middle school in Wensu county in Aksu, frequently uses the service.

"Through the trade union federation's remote medical system, I can call a doctor anytime, anywhere, and the doctors give very detailed explanations. Recently, my back pain flared up again, and online consultation was so convenient," Tursungul said.

For border police officers stationed year-round on the front lines, often separated from their families, the remote medical project has become a vital source of support.

"My wife is in her third trimester, and I cannot always be by her side. By linking her account to the online hospital platform, she can receive timely medical consultations, which greatly eases my worries," said Li Yang, an officer from a border police station in Changji Hui autonomous prefecture.

To improve usability, the Xinjiang autonomous regional trade union federation has conducted service training sessions for police officers across Xinjiang and teachers in southern border regions, with over 35,000 employees participating to date.

Xinjiang's trade union remote healthcare services extend beyond online platforms. On March 14-15, 2024, the autonomous regional trade union federation invited six medical experts from Beijing and Urumqi to Aksu prefecture to conduct a "free expert medical consultation for health" event, which provided face-to-face checkups and diagnoses for teachers, staff and their families, complementing online services with offline support.

"We will continue to focus on the needs of employees, extend high-quality medical resources to more workers and their families, help enhance health awareness among employees and strengthen their sense of fulfillment, happiness and security," said an official of the trade union.

Similarly, in Inner Mongolia, the autonomous regional trade union federation has pioneered a "healthcare outreach" campaign, establishing an innovative service system that combines offline free clinics at the grassroots level with online cloud-based health protection. By leveraging digital and intelligent technologies, the initiative enhances the accessibility of services, ensuring that the trade union federation's healthcare support is delivered instantly.

In a bid to address the healthcare challenges faced by forestry workers, the local trade union federation has worked to bring high-quality medical resources to grassroots areas.

In 2023, China Inner Mongolia Forest Industry Group, in partnership with the China Volunteers Association, initiated an employee health service project that enables forestry workers to consult with experts from top-tier hospitals in Beijing and other regions.

In late May, the Inner Mongolia Federation of Trade Unions, in collaboration with the trade union of China Inner Mongolia Forest Industry Group, launched the fourth phase of a free medical consultation campaign at the Genhe People's Hospital.

The activity featured a team of chief-level experts from leading hospitals in Beijing, providing medical services to over 200 employees and their families from multiple forest industry companies.

"We can now receive medical consultations from Beijing experts without leaving the forest area. The trade union federation truly understands and responds to our needs with practical action," said an employee surnamed Liu at Genhe Forestry Industry Company.

Starting in April, the Hohhot trade union federation launched a series of promotional and training sessions for the remote medical service project, conducting on-site scenario-based training.

At Hohhot Transport Group, the training focused on video consultation procedures tailored to the occupational characteristics of drivers.

"I used to worry most about health issues during long-distance trips. Now, I can consult specialists right on my phone. The trade union truly brings its service to the steering wheel," said a driver surnamed Zhang after experiencing a consultation for cervical spondylosis.

According to the Inner Mongolia Federation of Trade Unions, this year, the remote medical service program is projected to cover 90,000 employees and over 450,000 of their family members.