I.Current state of rural population and family planning network

As an important part of the rural superstructure, rural public service system construction is critical not only to rural residents' basic existence and development, but also to peace and stability in the countryside. With a mandate from the State Population and Family Planning Commission, the China (Hainan) Institute for Reform and Development sent two groups to interview some rural households in six townships concurrently with their investigations in the seven county-level cities and 10 townships in Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and Hainan provinces from August to September 2006.

Findings show that the rural population and family planning network is working fairly well, and a sound population and family planning management and service network has been established across the country.

1. General situation analysis

At the grassroots level, the rural populaiton and family network has well developed; family planning commissions have been established in counties and family planning offices and service centers in townships. In addition, workers and information collectors have been divided into production teams. In Gansu, for example, a seven-level family planning management network has been set up connecting self-managed groups organized by women of childbearing age, production teams, villages, townships, counties, cities and the provincial government. A four-level family planning service center network has also been set up, which connects townships, counties, cities and the provincial government.

Most grassroots level family planning service centers are housed in the offices of township government. What we were deeply concerned about during these investigations was whether the rural population development service centers were affected when townships were dissolved or merged in accordance with government reforms. Staff members assured us that all departments involved in the family planning program were well protected. Some were even strengthened as a result of reforms. For example, new buses were given to population development service centers in eight counties in Ningxia and Hongsibao Development Areas.

However, we also learned that there are cases of people from non-related departments being "planted" in family planning departments by administrative intervention, thereby affecting staff quality and resource allocation efforts.

2. Building workforce of the rural population and family planning network

The family planning program has been national policy since the 1970s. Since then, the program has been developing steadily thanks to the efforts of local government and grassroots organizations.

Scale: In Gansu alone, the program employs 230,000 administrative staff, 5,700 technical personnel and two million associate members. This is very encouraging considering that the population of Gansu is only 26 million. Nevertheless, there is room for further optimization of the human resource structure; administrative staff far outnumbers technical specialists.

Qualification: According to Zhang Hong, vice director of the Family Planning Program in Dunhuang City, Gansu, the selection process for administrative staff and technical personnel in production teams, villages and townships is competitive. We learned that all technical staff at a family planning service center in Taiji Township, Yongjing County, had received training in nursing.

Stability: In terms of financial stability, most of the places we investigated affirmed this point. For example, in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, payment to workers for the family planning program in 188 townships and liaison persons (LPs) in villages is made from budget allocations. Village LPs enjoy similar benefits to cadres with an income of 3,500-4,000 yuan (about US$466-533) a year.

3 Infrastructure of the rural population and family planning network

Rural population and family planning network infrastructure development in Qili Township in Dunhuang City and Taiji Township in Yongjing County, Gansu, and Changxin Township in Helan County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is the most advanced nationally.

In Taiji Township, 13 separate spaces are used for the family planning offices. Another eight are used for related services including a service center (with a 120-square-meter floor space), gynecological examination rooms and operation theaters.

(China (Hainan) Institute for Reform and Development and translated by China Development Gateway December 20, 2007)