China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products announced on Friday the launch of a purchasing platform for health products and a program to train health consultants for drugstores.

"We hope to promote the transformation of China's drugstores and help establish a reasonable retailing drugstore system," said Liu Zhanglin, vice-president of the chamber at a news conference.

Retail drugstores is an important part amid China's healthcare and medicine industries. By the end of 2012, there were more than 427,000 drugstores around the country.

But the sector lacks qualified staff and health products in stores, the chamber said.

"With the development of China's health market and an increasing number of exporting companies transferring their focus on the domestic market, there will be more high-quality products in the marketplace," said Liu.

The chamber is planning to expedite the selection of more high-quality products through the purchasing platform. The training program will help improve the capability of current drugstore workers scattered in urban and rural areas.