NEV production, sales continue to increase

The latest industry data has revealed a significant surge in the production and sales of new energy vehicles in China for April.

Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed on Saturday that last month's NEV production hit 870,000 units and sales reached 850,000 units, up by 35.9 percent and 33.5 percent year-on-year, respectively.

The growth propelled the market share of NEVs to a notable 36 percent in April.

In April, the production of automobiles in China reached 2.406 million units in total, rising 12.8 percent year-on-year. Sales increased 9.3 percent to 2.359 million units.

For the first four months of the year, China's production and sales of NEVs reached 2.985 million and 2.94 million units, respectively.

This represents a year-on-year growth of 30.3 percent and 32.3 percent, respectively, and has increased the market share of NEVs to 32.4 percent.

Last year, China's auto production and sales both hit record highs to top 30 million units each, according to CAAM data. The annual production and sales of NEVs exceeded 9.58 million and 9.49 million units respectively, ranking first globally for the ninth consecutive year.

Regulation safeguards prepaid elderly care

A guideline on regulating prepayment for elderly care services has been issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and six other departments, the ministry said at a news conference on Friday.

The guideline encourages providing elderly care services through monthly payments. When prepayment is involved, the maximum prepayment period for elderly service fees should not exceed 12 months, it said.

It said the maximum deposit for an individual should not exceed 12 times his or her monthly bed fee.

For the security of prepaid membership fees, the document demands establishing guarantee fund mechanisms and managing funds through commercial banks.

It prohibits elderly care institutions from conducting high-risk investments by using prepaid funds and encouraging prepayment through offering a return on investment.

In the case of refunds, it requires elderly care institutions to promptly refund members according to the agreed terms.

Grassroots healthcare being improved

China has worked to bolster its public health care services at various levels, aiming to improve its people's well-being, Zhu Hongbiao, a senior official with the National Health Commission said on May 7.

At a news conference held in Beijing, Zhu highlighted China's efforts to channel medical resources, including personnel, technology, services and management, into community-level healthcare institutions, thus ensuring the public has access to quality medical services on their doorsteps.

Currently, over 70 percent of medical institutions at the grassroots level have met basic or recommended standards in terms of service capabilities, Zhu said.

Zhu also noted measures that have been taken to build a capable workforce for community-level healthcare institutions. These measures include programs that provide free medical education to rural students who commit to serving their local areas, as well as subsidies for those working at village clinics.

He emphasized efforts to improve the services of city and county-level medical institutions such as the establishment of partnerships between China's top-tier hospitals and county-level hospitals to provide assistance and support.

Last year, the proportion of visits to community-level healthcare institutions climbed to 52 percent, demonstrating the increasing appeal of grassroots healthcare institutions among the public, Zhu said.