Old and young plan promotes better care

According to the plan released by the National Development and Reform Commission on Friday, as well as increasing its inputs into eldercare and childcare, the government will seek innovations in system designs and financing mechanisms.

Undoubtedly, the caring for the "two ends" of the population in the country has lagged behind the fast changing of the national demographic structure－the aging of the population is accelerating while families are becoming smaller.

For too long, it has been the grandparents in many families who look after the newborns. The supply of public and paid services for nursing for the elderly and babies falls short of society's demands.

Notably, the document indicates that the central government is granting local governments at the provincial and municipal levels considerable autonomy in making and carrying out their own eldercare and childcare policies. The discretionary power means the local governments can better adapt the policies to the local fiscal conditions and demographic structures.

Also, the document demonstrates that the central government encourages not only public institutions but also private companies and investors to take part in the construction of a comprehensive care system for the elderly and the young.

With the involvement of multiple parties, the nursing services will become a sector implementing mixed ownership. That means the services it provides will become more diversified and tailored to meet differentiated needs, and that the government-funded nursing services will be mainly tilted toward low-income families.

Issuing the document is tantamount to giving a green light to private investors to explore one of the largest nursing markets in the world. The inclusiveness the guideline document demonstrates creates a huge space for the relevant parties to try out new cooperation and practice models to form a nursing system that suits different local actualities.

Yet it is suggested the central government should continue to subsidize such regions as Northeast China where the lackluster economy means neither government nor the private investors have enough money to invest in the undertakings.