Ningbo upgrades long-term care insurance services

Ningbo is leading Zhejiang province in extending long-term care insurance to ensure high-quality services for those in need.

Long-term care insurance refers to insurance to cover the costs of a host of care services for people with chronic medical conditions, disabilities or disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

On January 1, Ningbo began extending long-term care insurance coverage to all residents covered under the medical insurance system. As of the end of October, 24,262 individuals in the city had benefited from the long-term insurance. More than 30,000 people are expected to benefit from the service by the end of this year.

To improve caregivers' skills and ensure service is of high quality, local authorities issued management measures on the long-term care insurance services, outlining regulations for 42 different care services.

"The measures will not only help regulate the long-term care service market but also standardize training for caregivers," said an official of the Ningbo Healthcare Security Administration.

Ningbo is currently home to 340 designated long-term care institutions and more than 6,000 professional caregivers.

A digital platform has also been launched to provide real-time supervision of the whole service process.