BEIJING — China will step up efforts to build elderly-friendly medical institutions, said the National Health Commission (NHC) at a press conference on Oct 11.

Medical institutions at all levels will be encouraged to make transformations to meet the needs of senior citizens, providing them elderly-friendly and more convenient medical services, said Wang Haidong, director of the NHC's Department of Ageing and Health.

China has over 180 million elderly citizens suffering from chronic diseases, of whom 75 percent have multiple such ailments. More than 40 million seniors are totally or partially unable to take care of themselves, according to statistics from the NHC.