Policy digest

Nutrition plan provides food for thought

The General Office of the State Council published its national nutrition plan for 2017-30 with the goal of reducing obesity and anemia among students as well as tackling stunted growth affecting pupils younger than 5.

The National Nutrition Plan (2017-30) calls for raising nutritional awareness, stressing that nutrition is crucial to the national health and quality of life as well as social and economic development.

A slew of measures were listed in the new plan, including raising standards of nutrition, perfecting studies on nutritional sciences and nurturing expertise. Legislation on nutrition as well as policy studies will be enhanced. The plan aims to set up a comprehensive nationwide assessment system for nutritional standards by 2020.

At the same time, a more comprehensive shared-data system will be established to benefit residents. Assessment on nutrition and food safety will also be strengthened through surveys, especially for iodine-related nutritional plans. In addition, data will be shared to benefit residents. Knowledge of nutritional health will be a particular highlight, the plan said.

Medical education reform guideline issued

The State Council's General Office issued a guideline on deepening reforms on medical education, to ensure a more comprehensive medical policy environment by 2020 with better medical expertise.

Efforts will be enhanced through four aspects. First, the government will accelerate steps in establishing a standardized training system for medical expertise. Second, a more enabling structure between supply and demand for medical expertise will be in the pipeline. Third, systematic innovation is needed between teaching and medical training and fourth, the government will offer more incentives to medical professionals.

According to the guideline, medical schools and institutions are required to improve enrollment and work to attract better-qualified students. Reform on medical education needs to be further implemented, especially in clinical and traditional medicine. The new guideline calls for enhanced training for general practitioners and pediatricians in particular, together with training in areas including public health, pharmacy, nursing and rehabilitation. It also stressed building educational bases for clinical training as well as training and education for medical expertise after school.

At the same time, medical education in central and western regions will be improved, the guideline said.

Fees for some ATM withdrawals canceled

The National Development and Research Commission and China Banking Regulatory Commission have announced that handling fees for withdrawing cash in a different city from where the card is registered will be canceled. Some other handling fees will also be canceled, such as for reporting card losses. The announcements were made public through websites and mobile applications from all commercial banks.

Measures to improve household services

The National Development and Reform Commission has released a guideline on improving household services for 2017 together with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Commerce, as well as the Ministry of Information and Industrial Technology.

The guideline makes clear a 20 percent increase in business revenue, and household service industries are expected to play a bigger role in absorbing the labor force from rural areas, urban laid-off workers, women in central and western China, as well as the labor force in their 40s or 50s. About 28 million people will be working in the household service industry, the guideline says, laying a solid ground for the industry's long-term development.

Returned workers to get business help

The National Development and Reform Commission has recently launched applications for pilot regions to support migrant workers who return to their hometowns for entrepreneurship, an effort in line with China's modern urbanization.

County-level regions with a comparatively large population of migrant workers, college graduates and veterans are encouraged to apply for piloting policies through recommendation of provincial level government. The government will also, to an extent, favor regions with comparatively heavy tasks in phasing out excess capacity and alleviating poverty.

The document also stressed local government need to fasten steps in nurturing a sound business environment for workers returning to hometowns for entrepreneurship, improving public service while widening financing channels.