In a bid to bolster medical support for its expanding elderly population, the Chinese mainland's National Health Commission (NHC) has released updated guidelines requiring top-tier and second-tier general hospitals nationwide to establish dedicated geriatric clinics.
New Standards for Elderly Care
The revised rules, which replace the 2019 guidelines, call for each geriatric clinic to include outpatient consultation rooms, wards and comprehensive evaluation rooms. Tertiary hospitals must allocate at least 20 beds for geriatric care, while secondary hospitals need a minimum of 10 beds.
Equipping for Life-Support
To ensure robust care, clinics should have essential life-support devices such as:
- Tracheal intubation tools
- Simple respirators
- Electrocardiogram monitors
- Cardiac defibrillators
Additional facilities—like auxiliary bathing stations, electric nursing beds, self-transfer devices, enteral nutrition infusion pumps and rehabilitation training equipment—are also encouraged.
Holistic, Team-Based Treatment
The guidelines emphasize a multidisciplinary approach by integrating specialists from internal medicine, oncology, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), rehabilitation, mental health, nursing, pharmacy and nutrition. This holistic strategy blends modern medicine with TCM therapies to address the full spectrum of health needs among older patients.
Scaling Up Amid Demographic Shifts
With roughly 310 million residents aged 60 and above—about 22 percent of the population—the Chinese mainland faces a mounting elder-care challenge. The NHC aims for 80 percent of top and secondary hospitals to have standardized geriatric departments by the end of 2027. Already, the number of hospitals with geriatric services rose from 4,685 in 2021 to 6,877 in 2023.
However, experts warn that geriatric medicine is still an emerging discipline. A shortage of specialized professionals and low service fees have dampened momentum among medical institutions. Closing these gaps will be key to turning policy into progress.
Reference(s):
China steps up geriatric healthcare services at major hospitals
cgtn.com
