On February 19, National Development and Reform Commission announced the Action Scheme to Intensify Efforts to Promote Social Public Service to Address weak links and Improve Quality   Facilitate a Strong Domestic Market(Hereinafter referred to as the Scheme) which was jointly issued by 18 national departments including National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Civil Affairs. The Scheme proposes 27 specific missions in terms of childcare, education, healthcare and senior care. The following missions relates to senior care. 

The Scheme puts forward to fully open senior service market. By 2022, a senior service system based on homes and communities, assisted with institutions, integrated with medical service and senior service, as well as perfect functions and adequate scale will be built. The coverage of community daily care institutions is over 90%. The community based emergency rescue system for seniors is generally established. The fifteen minutes senior service circle is established. Promote the development of private nursing home, cancel licenses for nursing homes, support domestic and foreign capital investing in nursing homes, implement equivalent preferential policies. 

The Scheme raises to strengthen the construction of elderly health service system. Establish and perfect a comprehensive and continuous service system covering the whole life circle of all people, including prevention, health protection, treatment, rehabilitation, nursing, hospice care. Optimize the configuration of elderly medical and health resources centering on elderly health and promote the collaboration between medical institutions and nursing homes. Promote the health examination, full coverage of health examination for elders over 65 will be basically achieved by the year of 2022. Strengthen the construction of rehabilitation hospitals, nursing homes and geriatric section of comprehensive hospitals. Strengthen professional construction of specialized geriatric section in various forms on the basis of current medical institutions in areas with strong demand for medical service. Promote gross roots clinic institutions to actively carry out service including medical care, rehabilitation, care-giving, home beds, improve the accessibility of medical services for the elderly. 

The Scheme raises to promote catering service in rural and urban communities. Include community catering service in the capacity evaluation index system of medium and long term plan of China’s actively coping with aging population, force to settle catering  problems of empty nest elders. Improve the level of community catering service offered by enterprises. Encourage catering enterprises to expand services through delivery service and sink services to communities in order to provide convenience to the residents. 

Source: National Development and Reform Commission