China to further nursing service reform

A nurse explains an eye test to an elderly woman at a hospital in East China's Shandong province. With an aging population, China is seeing more opportunities for healthcare providers that specialize in goods and services for the elderly. IMAGINECHINA

BEIJING - China plans to build a nursing service system supported by medical institutes, with communities as the platform and families as the basis by 2020, according to the National Health Commission (NHC) Friday.

"It will push forward the establishment of a nursing service structure that covers diagnosis and treatment in the acute phase, recovery in the chronical phase, nursing in the stable phase and caring in the dying phase," a guideline by the commission reads.

"The reform will adhere to the principle of following the guidance of the government and getting input from multiple sources, as social forces will be guided to contribute to the business in various forms," said Jiao Yahui, an NHC official.

"They will be encouraged to set up nursing institutions to increase the supply in nursing service for the elderly and the disabled, which can also be helped by smaller hospitals."

The guideline also encourages medical institutions to extend their services for patients who are more prone to be rehospitalized or have higher demands for services.

Moreover, the guideline reiterates the goal of having 4.45 million registered nurses in China by 2020. As of the end of 2017, China had more than 3.8 million registered nurses.