China held a medical support drill Wednesday in the remote northwestern Helan Mountains, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

The exercise involved servicemen from the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) General Logistics Department, the Air Force, the Military Area Commands of Lanzhou and Jinan and professionals from the health department in Gansu Province.

Members of medical team rescue the faked injured person at the "earthquake-hit area" during a medical support drill in the remote northwestern Helan Mountains, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Aug. 19, 2009. China held a medical support drill Wednesday in Helan Mountains simulating a strong earthquake and secondary disasters. The drill "Mission of Medical Support-2009" aimed to examine and improve the organization and direction of medical support after major disasters. [Xinhua]

The drill "Mission of Medical Support-2009" aimed to examine and improve the organization and direction of medical support after major disasters, a spokesman for the drill said.

It is the first time the PLA has held a medical support exercise for non-military purposes, said Zhang Shuhua, professor with the Logistics Command Academy of PLA.

Participants carried out first aid, medical treatment, health epidemic prevention, transfer of patients and other simulations during the drill Wednesday morning.

They set up more than 10 field hospitals within 10 minutes and the field tele-medicine consultation system within 15 minutes.

Rescue helicopters and field ambulances were used in the drill.

Zhang said experiences gained from the massive Wenchuan earthquake last year were adopted in the drill.

The 8.0-magnitude earthquake jolted southwest China's Sichuan Province and the neighboring provinces of Shanxi and Gansu on May12 last year, leaving about 87,000 people dead or missing and more than 370,000 injured.