China will get its first group of licensed doctors after scores are posted from a national medical exam to be taken by 300,000 Chinese.

The examination, which includes a written test in late November and practical skills demonstrations which are currently underway, is expected to lay the foundation for a medical licensing and registration system in China.

For five decades, China has run a healthcare system that doesn' t issue any national unified license to medical professionals. Medical school graduates usually acquire the permission to treat patients after one-year internship and then the evaluation of the qualifications, which are conducted by local health administrations.

Health officials said China's existing set-up, even though it has proved successful in improving the overall health of the Chinese, has made it easy for quack doctors to profit from giving unauthorized medical care.

"Many who practice medicine are not qualified, especially in rural and remote areas which have less access to medical services, " said Wu Mingjiang, director of the department of medical

administration under the Ministry of Health. He acknowledged that the downslide in medical services in recent years has given rise to numerous complaints.

The written test will be divided into four categories: clinical skills, Chinese medicine, stomatology and public health. Both medical practitioners and assistant medical practitioners will be tested, according to the National Medical Test Center.

Testing for practical skills include presentations of surgical techniques and patient diagnosis.

Until now, China has followed the Law on Medical Practitioners, which stipulates that those who pass a qualification test and are registered have the right to practice medicine.

The examination "is an important measure to clean up the medical services market. The crackdown on illegal and fake doctors has to be stepped up," said Wu Mingjiang.

Statistics show that China has more than 1.5 million doctors and some 460,000 medical assistants. However, the number of new physicians in recent years has far exceeded the number of graduates from medical colleges, which suggests that many unqualified people are practicing medicine.

A senior legislator also admitted that cases of unauthorized medical services have been on the rise in recent years.

"These illegal activities seriously endanger the people's health must be stamped out," said Zhang Xuwu, vice-chairman of the Ninth National People's Congress Law Committee.

Even after acquiring the necessary qualifications, all doctors will be urged to improve their professional skills and strictly adhere to medical ethics. Violators may have their licenses suspended, Wu said.

"The people's health should always be the top priority, so we won't allow unqualified persons to infiltrate the ranks of medical practitioners," stressed Health Minister Zhang Wenkang.