The channel is a crucial part of a programme sponsored by the State Council, with the hope of reducing both deaths in mothers and infants.

These regions are mainly located in West China, where many rural women still deliver babies at home due to the harsh economic conditions, poor awareness and laggard medical service.

The programme, which began in 2000, covers people in 440 counties of 17 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

In the latest year and next, governments in the programme areas will try to ensure that 95 per cent of high-risk pregnant women are able to deliver their children in hospitals, Vice-Health Minister Jiang Zuojun said at a conference over the weekend.

Meanwhile, more than 50 per cent of pregnant women from all regions, are expected to be helped when they go to hospitals to take prenatal medicine which can greatly reduce death rates in delivery.

To reach such a goal, a "green channel" which links medical institutions at the village, township and county levels, is "quite vital and must be strengthened this year," Jiang said.

The doctors in village must do better in promoting health care for pregnant women, selecting high-risk mothers and help them get to hospitals.

And township hospitals should strengthen their gynaecology and obstetrics departments to make them adequate for normal cases and to identify high-risk mothers for transport to higher-level hospitals.

Finally, hospitals in counties need to improve their emergency aid centres for saving the lives of high-risk mothers and babies.

The "green channel" is a successful effort that has also done other promotional work including urging local officials to pay more attention to public health services and increasing investment.

Other efforts include providing more relief for poverty-stricken mothers and doing effective public education.

Some 230 million yuan (US$28 million) has been invested by the central government up to now.

More than 117,000 poverty-stricken mothers have safely given birth to their children with the financial support from the programme, which is jointly carried out by the Ministry of Health, the Working Committee of Women and Children with the State Council and the Ministry of Finance.