The May 12 8-magnitude earthquake caused damage to 87.7% of the health systems in the worst-hit Mianyang areas with 326 casualties and the direct economic loss of RMB 3 124 billion. Within 30 minutes after the earthquake, the Mianyang headquarters for earthquake disaster relief and the Mianyang public health headquarters for medical rescue and treatment were organized. Five medical teams were sent to Beichuang County, the worst-hit Mianyang area within four hours after the earthquake. A total of 22 947 wounded and sick were delivered to local hospitals after simple triage and rapid treatment through three station. By June 30, the Mianyang medical organisation had received 379 600 person times and admitted 21628 inpatients in total, including 2 772 severely-wounded (including 146 with limbs amputated and 846 dead during the stay). Since May 17, 3381 wounded had been transferred to 14 provincial and city-level hospitals across China. On June 20, the Mianyang Rehabilitation Center for wounded and sick people was established and received 156 rehabilitation inpatients and cured 32 ones. Together with the medical team for psychological intervention, they provided psychological support for victims for over 70 000 person times. Within two hours after the earthquake, the Mianyang Organisation for Health and Epidemic Control and Prevention launched the emergency response plan for major natural disasters, prepared and improved the technical scheme for disease prevention after the earthquake. The organisation rapidly sent out emergency teams for disease control and prevention and completed the following tasks: disinfection and burial of corpses and disposal of carcasses, monitoring of the water quality and epidemics, disinfection of environmental ruins, epidemic control in resettled areas, precaution of the secondary disasters caused by the earthquake and conduction of large-scale health education. The emergency command system for medical rescue and disease control and prevention in the worst-hit Mianyang areas after Wenchuan Earthquake integrated resources, carried out the unified command and responded rapidly. Moreover, the headquarter of medical relief coordinated and orderly unified the governmental and non-governmental organizations, which achieved good performance for both medical relief and anti-epidemic. The experience of earthquake medical relief will benefit the post-disaster reconstruction, as well as the establishment of national and regional emergency response systems.