China introduces national subsidy for elderly care services

BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- China has launched a nationwide subsidy program to support elderly people with disabilities who wish to purchase care services, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Finance announced on Thursday.

Starting from Jan. 1, the program provides seniors who have difficulties to take care of themselves with monthly electronic vouchers over a 12-month period, partly offsetting costs for home-based, community-based and institutional elderly care services.

The vouchers, which worth up to 800 yuan (about 114 U.S. dollars) per person per month, can be used to cover a wide range of services such as meal assistance, bathing assistance, housekeeping assistance, mobility support, emergency aid, medical assistance, rehabilitation nursing, and daytime care. ■