High tech to aid growing elderly population

China will promote the use of smart hardware and mobile platforms in the elderly care industry, as the country is leveraging technologies to cope with an aging population.

Luo Wen, vice-minister of industry and information technology, said China’s smart healthcare industry is advancing rapidly and a welldeveloped industrial chain has come into being, involving medical and health electronic products, system integration and service operations.

“We will step up efforts to boost the research and development of affordable products, such as electronic healthcare monitors and service robots, as well as encourage new business models including online medical consultation services,” Luo said.

By the end of 2015, the number of Chinese above 60 years old was 222 million, about 16.1 percent of the country’s total population.