China has launched a project which will train 20,000 community doctors to help patients with high blood pressure, according to sources with the Ministry of Health.

Currently, China has at least 160 million people with high blood pressure, 12.3 percent of the total population, shows the ministry's figure.

The incidence rate among Chinese adults reached 18.8 percent in 2002, up 31 percentage points than 1991, shows the figure.

However, public awareness of this chronic disease and treatment rate still remain low, with only 6.1 percent of high blood pressure patients are monitored by doctors, said a health official.

Lots of patients do not get regular checks of blood pressure and have no regular contact with doctors, the official added.

The project, launched by the health ministry and implemented by the Chinese Hypertension League, aims to train 20,000 doctors at community health centers, said head of the league Liu Lisheng.

The project will also monitor 1 million high blood pressure patients, and try to raise the monitoring rate to 60 percent of the patients in the country.

(Xinhua News Agency October 16, 2006)