A woman surnamed Lin in Gonghua Village, Huoju District in Zhongshan City fell into a valley from a cliff and was in the hospital for more than a week before she recovered.

It was then that she got a suprise.

She was delighted when the district medical care office gave her 11,000 yuan (US$1,325) to cover her medical costs.

"I never expected to get so much because I only paid 25 yuan for the premium," Lin said.

More than 900,000 farmers like Lin, or about 90 percent of the total farmers in Zhongshan, had enrolled in a medical care plan which was subsidized by Zhongshan Government, the Guangzhou-based News Express reported Wednesday.

At the beginning, many farmers were reluctant to join the voluntary plan, which began last year. Some even thought it was a waste of money.

But more and more changed their minds after seeing others helped and subsidized by it, the report said.

Altogether, 174,000 farmers benefited from the medical care subsidized plan last year with 54 million yuan (US$6.58 million) in medical costs paid by the plan.

On average, farmers can have 40 to 60 percent of their medical costs covered by the plan.

The highest fee covered was 60,000 yuan.

Under the new plan, Zhongshan farmers can not only enjoy partially free medical care in nearby hospitals, but also take treatments in more comprehensive hospitals in Guangzhou, the provincial capital.

The plan's account and cash flow was required by the government to be public record and was put under the scrutiny of the people's congress, the report said.

Editor: Donald