Underserved areas of western China face severe staff shortages and inequitable access to rural medical insurance and primary medical service. Junior faculties at Ningxia Medical University are inadequately trained in health policy studies and many lack basic research skills. This three-year proposal aims to promote studies of rural health in Western China. The studies will examine reform of rural practical medical education and rural medical insurance systems accompanied by technical capacity building in health policy and systems research. Included will be a pilot study on equal access to primary medical service and public health.; Altogether, five subprojects will be executed to achieve the overall goal: reform of rural practical education module, benefit equity of rural medical insurance, equal access to primary medical service, construction of a health service package, and capacity building for health policy and systems research. The principal investigator of this project is President and Professor Sun Tao.