The State Council urged diversified and multilevel service for the elderly, apart from basic care, by 2022, according to a circular released on April 16.

An inter-department comprehensive supervision system will be created, with an effort to accelerate the building of the social credit system in this field. By the end of June, a joint disciplinary mechanism must be established to implement punishment on severely dishonest agencies and personnel providing services for the elderly, the circular said.

Public elderly care institutions should stick to a non-commercial nature, with more attention on the elderly with financial difficulties, who are not able to take care of themselves or lost their only child, and offer free or low-cost care services.

Elderly care institutions in line with current policies can enjoy preferential policies for small and micro enterprises.

By the end of 2022, government at all levels must allocate at least 55 percent of its lottery public welfare fund for social welfare to the development of elderly care services.

Efforts should be made to ease financing for elderly care institutions.

A sound system of vocational skill identification, education and training for caregivers will be established, while bigger play should be given to the industry in creating more jobs.

The circular also urged promoting the consumption of products for the elderly, while protecting their rights as consumers.

As for the quality of elderly care services, existing medical and health institutions and elderly care institutions should enhance cooperation by giving play to each other’s complementary advantages, the circular said, adding that the government should streamline the process of establishing an institution which combines medical health care with elderly care.

The circular also called for the integration of home-based care, community care and institutional care, as well as Internet Plus care, which adopts information technology, like artificial intelligence, the internet of things and big data in elderly care field.