China is taking steps to make affordable nursing services available to more elderly people in the next four years to meet the needs of its aging population and improve the quality of their lives.

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The State Council recently approved the public service plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, which said the Chinese people have higher requirements for better lives, with public services including education, medical treatment and nursing services for the elderly and children their main concerns. Addressing these issues will influence their senses of happiness and security, it said.

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According to the plan, the population structure has changed in recent decades, with an increasingly aging population. The changes have made people more reliant on public services that enable quality lives and personal development.

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Li Banghua, deputy director of nursing services at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, told a news conference on Tuesday that the plan systematically defined nursing services that will be improved in the next four years and was a positive response to the aging issue.

“The plan has emphasized that government will play a key role in securing the lives of impoverished elderly,” he said. “Nursing homes and institutions offering nursing services are encouraged to provide free services to elderly with low incomes or those with severe disabilities.”

The government will also make efforts to offer affordable nursing services, with a community-based nursing service network proposed that would allow the elderly to access nursing services in 15 minutes.

Read more @Global China Daily