To address China’s shortage of qualified rural hospital directors and medical practitioners, this five-year project aims to improve the capacity of such health workers in pilot counties of Heilongjiang province. This would be accomplished through the development and implementation of an integrated training program for 360 township hospital directors and 428 township hospital and village doctors.The program will focus on strengthening management, technical knowledge, and the general professional skills of rural health workers so that they may provide appropriate, accessible, effective, safe and qualified medical services to residents in this area. Teaching manuals and an on-line training website will be developed, as well as papers for publication.