National Health Commission: 50% of Secondary and above Hospitals Nationwide Add Department of Geriatric Health

  • 2019-11-04
On November 1, eight divisions including the National Health Commission, the National Healthcare Security Administration and National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued the Guidelines for Establishing and Improving the Health Service System for the Elderly (hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines), the first guiding document on the health service system for the elderly in China.
In this Guidelines, three specific quantitative performance indicators are proposed:
I. By 2022, over 50% secondary and above general hospitals will set up departments of geriatric medicine.
II. By 2022, over 80% of general hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, nursing facilities and primary medical and health institutions will become elderly-friendly medical and health organizations.
III. To encourage secondary and above general hospitals to set up departments of rehabilitation medicine, and increase the proportion of beds for rehabilitation and nursing in primary medical and health institutions. To support rural medical and health institutions in adding beds for rehabilitation and nursing based on the available spare beds. By 2022, the proportion of nursing beds in primary medical and health institutions will reach 30%.
With the setup of departments of geriatric medicine across the country, He Yanzheng, member of the national committee of CPPCC and the head of the Sichuan Provincial Health Commission, proposed that at least one geriatric hospital sponsored by the government should be established in each city (prefecture) and county with a large population. In addition, all localities should guide eligible secondary hospitals to be transformed into geriatric hospitals and strengthen the specialty development of key disease of the elderly in tertiary and above general hospitals. All competent departments should coordinate financial funds related to the elderly at all levels with reference to the state investment model for the construction of the system of elderly care service. Financial departments at all levels should subsidize for construction based on the amount of beds for the elderly and relevant standards.
With the aggravation of aging, the construction of department of geriatric medicine and geriatric hospitals will increase significantly. The configuration of related medical devices will also see expansion in capacity.

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