China mulls rules for improving eldercare services

BEIJING - The Chinese government has released two draft rules on elderly care institutions in order to improve care for people age 60 and over.

Drafted by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the rules clarify standard practices for nursing homes and stipulate parameters for the establishment of eldercare facilities, including items regarding the amount of beds and professional staff such facilities must have.

The draft will be posted online to solicit public opinion until June 23, according to the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council.

Nursing homes that discriminate against, insult, mistreat or abandon the elderly could face fines of up to 30,000 yuan (4,892 US dollars), and they will be held accountable for any actions that violate the law, according to the draft rules.

Government-funded nursing homes should give priority to the impoverished, the disabled and the very old, according to the rules.

The draft rules also allow overseas institutions and individuals to set up nursing homes in China.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs said the requirements are intended to enhance nursing home management and promote the healthy development of eldercare services.

China was home to about 194 million people age 60 and over by 2012, accounting for 14.3 percent of the country's total population, figures from the China Research Center on Aging show.

The country is witnessing the first peak in its growing elderly population, and its elderly population is expected to hit 202 million in 2013. Caring for this group will be an increasingly pressing issue for the country.

The center's figures also show that there were about 3.9 million beds in nursing homes in 2012, or about one bed for every 50 senior citizens.