(The Request for Comment on) the 13th Five-Year Plan for Elderly Care Service System in Guangdong Province (“RFC”) was released to the public on 8th August. It is proposed in the RFC that 35 or more beds should be provided to every 1000 elderly persons in all types of elderly care facilities within the province during the 13th Five-Year period. By 2017, more than 50% of the elderly care establishments will set up a mechanism for combining medical and elderly care resources; and, by 2020, all elderly care establishments will have such a mechanism.

    Elderly people of advanced ages and elderly people losing their self-care ability who are also in financial difficulty will be subsidized.

    The RFC brings forward that, during the 13th Five-Year period, the overall objective of building an elderly care service system in Guangdong Province is to build a complete multi-layered elderly care service system based on elderly care services at home, supported by the community services, complemented by services from elderly care establishments, and combining both medical and elderly care resources, with all of the communities in urban areas, over 90% of the communities in villages and towns, and over 60% of the communities in rural areas covered by the elderly care facility services such as day care centers and activities centers for the elderly that meet the standards; and,

35 or more beds should be provided to every 1000 elderly persons in all types of elderly care facilities within the province. A development pattern shall be gradually formed for achieving legalized, socialized, professional, standardized, information-based and industrialized elderly care services, making the elderly care service sector a new growth factor for the development of service industry in Guangdong Province.

    By reading through the RFC, the reporter has found specific targets under the overall objective: 100% of the communities in urban areas, 100% of the communities in villages and towns, and over 90% of the communities in rural areas of 7 cities including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan and Jiangmen and Shunde District of Foshan City shall be covered by the elderly care facility services; and, 100% of the communities in urban areas, over 90% of the communities in villages and towns, and over 90% of the communities in rural areas of other regions shall be covered by the elderly care facility services.

The number of beds for elderly care use will reach 3.6% or a higher percentage of the total number of elderly population in 7 cities including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan and Jiangmen and in Shunde District of Foshan City, and 3.5% or a higher percentage of the total number of elderly population in other regions. By 2020, a mechanism for combining both medical and elderly care resources will be established in all elderly care establishments.

    Private elderly care establishments are growing fast. The number of beds in the private elderly care establishments of various models, including PPP, BOT, public-built & private-operated, and private-built & public-supported, reaches over 50% of the total number of beds for elderly care use. This percentage is over 55% in 7 cities where economy is well developed, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan and Jiangmen, and this percentage is over 45% in other regions.

    By 2020, in every county (county-level district and city) in the province, a complete system will be set up for evaluation of elderly care services, a comprehensive system will be set up for subsidizing elderly people of advanced ages and elderly people losing their self-care ability who are also in financial difficulties, and, the system for government purchase of services, the system for private-built and public-supported establishments and the system for subsidizing elderly care service practitioners will also be gradually perfected.

    One day care center will be set up in every sub-district and every town.

   The RFC lists some key construction projects, including the project of building elderly care information service platforms and network, such as Guangdong Information Service Platform for Home-base Elderly Care and the province-wide information network for elderly care service and management, that are aiming to provide elderly care services to the aged in the whole society; and accelerating and promoting application of information technologies, such as the internet technology and internet of things technology, to elderly care service area in 10 national pilot units, for benefiting people and promoting experiences to the whole province.

    The project of building an exemplary nursing home for the elderly is included in the key construction projects. During the 13th Five-Year period, Guangdong Social Welfare Service Center should be built and put into operation as an example of combining both medical and elderly care resources and as a leading project for guiding future training on similar projects.

    The “Five-Ones” Project should also be completed. By 2020, we strive for having one day care center for the elderly in the community in every sub-district (village and town); one elderly care service facility that is connected to information network in every urban community; one elderly care service facility that provides cultural and recreational activities and day care in every rural community; one elderly care establishment of four-star grade or above in every prefecture-level city; and, one elderly care establishment of two-star grade or above in every county (county-level city and district).

    A green channel should be opened for patients to make an appointment for seeing a doctor.

    The RFQ specifically suggests promoting the combination of elderly care services and medical and health services by building a healthy and complete mechanism for cooperation between an elderly care establishment and a medical and health institution. We should promote various forms of cooperation between an elderly care establishment and its circumjacent medical and health institution under an agreement that specifies the responsibilities of both parties. The medical and health institution should open a green channel for patients from the elderly care establishment to make an appointment for seeing a doctor, and provide medical visit tour, health management, health care consultation, medical service reservation, emergency treatment and first aid, and traditional Chinese medical health care services to the elderly in-patients, while the elderly care establishment should set up a qualified in-house medical institution as a place for the elderly patients from the hospitals to receive rehabilitation and nursing services at a later stage.

    The setup of elderly care establishments that combine both medical and elderly care resources should be supported. Elderly care service and medical service resources in different regions should be well planned and organized. Elderly care establishments should be supported when they apply for opening a geriatrics hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a nursing home, a hospice care hospital, an in-house medical room or nursing station pursuant to relevant regulations, and they should be encouraged to improve their basic medical service capabilities to provide medical and health services to the in-house elderly by using the techniques and theories of the traditional Chinese medicine hospitals for medical rehabilitation, health preservation and health care, and preventive treatment of disease.

A medical institution set up by an elderly care establishment and qualified for becoming a designated service outlet for those entitled to basic medical security may apply to the social security administration for being included in the basic medical security program as a designated medical institution. A public medical institution qualified and capable to provide elderly care services should be supported when it builds facilities for elderly care service and provides professional medical and health, rehabilitation and care services to the elderly.