A farmer in Hebei Province, who in 2012 suffered a blood clot in his right leg had to saw the limb off by himself - and at home without anesthesia - now faces the risk of losing his left foot as well.

The case has drawn attention to the country's fledgeling healthcare system, as the public asked how much the authorities can do to avoid these kinds of incidents - the farmer, Zheng Yanliang, 46, a resident of Dongzang village in Qingyuan county of Baoding, Hebei Province, was forced to cut off the leg because he couldn't afford to have the operation in a hospital.

Zheng went to the Baoding city hospital on January 28 last year after experiencing severe abdominal pain. He later went to the General Hospital of People's Liberation Army in Beijing where he was diagnosed with a rare blood clot.

"Doctors suggested cutting off my leg from the hip as the clot had already extended about 10 centimeters to the hip," Zheng told the Global Times on Thursday, adding that he had rejected their suggestions.

"I have spent more than 40,000 yuan ($6,536) on this condition. I spent 9,000 yuan on the trip to the Beijing 301 hospital," Zheng said.

Statistics from the Hebei provincial government show that Hebei farmers earned an average of 8,081 yuan net income per capita in 2012.

Zheng's family felt the repercussions of his condition. "My 17-year-old daughter had to drop out of school to work, to earn money for the family," Zheng said. His impoverished situation led him to attempt to solve the problem himself.

On April 14, 2012, Zheng acquired simple tools - a hacksaw, a fruit knife and a towel, as well as a stick to put in his mouth. He completed the amputation on his right leg with them, and he crushed four molars during the process.

Despite his best efforts, his left leg is now at risk. "My left foot has rotted away by itself," Zheng said.

He has joined a new rural cooperative medical insurance in the local area, however, Zheng said that because he does not receive inpatient treatment, he could not get reimbursements for his medical fees.

An official from the rural medical service management office of Qingyuan told the Global Times that there are two different reimbursement types. "The clinic fees are reimbursed when farmers get treatments for minor aliments in the village and township level hospitals. The reimbursements for inpatient treatment are at a rate of about 45 percent," the official, surnamed Wei, said.

Yu Shaoxiang, an expert on social security at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the new cooperative medical system, which started in 2003, has helped some people, but because of the limited reimbursement items and low reimbursement rates, farmers still shoulder a big part of medical costs.

"There are several reasons why some poor people can not benefit from the system, such as low investment from governments, profit-seeking hospitals and limited reimbursement items," Yu said.

Zheng told the media that he wants to be able to stand again with the support of artificial limbs, so that he can work to take care of his family.