Measure aims at child, elderly care services

Central government departments have issued an action plan to help the country further improve infrastructure conditions for elderly care and child care services.

The National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s top economic planner, said on Friday that by 2025, more efforts will have been made to promote standardization in the construction of facilities, enhance the ability to support those most in need and increase the number of inclusive services.

The NDRC, along with two other central government bodies, jointly released an implementation plan on boosting senior care and child care services.

China will build a slew of child care service institutions, expand the supply of services that cover the majority of the public and explore new models such as platforms for family child care sharing, the plan said.

To make cities more child friendly, the plan supports the construction of facilities for extracurricular activities centering on children’s natural education, science and technology to boost their quality development.

The plan also supports the renovation of public spaces and facilities — such as urban neighborhoods, roads, communities, schools, medical institutions, parks, libraries, green spaces — to make them more convenient for children.

For older people, the country will build a standardized homebased elderly care service network in grassroots level communities, build or renovate State-run senior care service institutions and support medical institutions in efforts to combine elderly care with medical treatments, the plan said.