Govt eyes technology to provide better elderly care

China will ramp up push to 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 well-developed 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. The number is expected to reach 480 million by the end of 2050.

The surging demand for elderly healthcare services is expected to cultivate an industry worth 22 trillion yuan ($3.38 trillion) by 2030.

Civil Affairs Vice-Minister Gao Xiaobing, said it is of high importance to meet senior citizens’ growing demand for diversified services.

“By making best use of technologies, we hope to offer affordable, efficient smart products. More efforts will also be made to lower the threshold for private enterprises into the smart elder care sector,” Gao added.