Efforts urged to improve elder care

Premier Li Qiang underlined on Wednesday the need to offer higher-standard elder care and healthcare services to boost people's quality of life.

Speaking during a fact-finding trip to Haikou, Hainan province, Li emphasized the importance of putting in place a national strategy of proactively responding to the aging society and strengthening services in elder care.

Noting that home-based care for senior residents remains the principal form of elder care in China, Li called for proactive efforts to explore a greater role of community services for the elderly to offer them quality access to food and healthcare.

More work must be done to learn from advanced international experiences and enhance professional training to offer standardized services, he said.

The premier also urged efforts to advance the development of facilities and services for the Hai­nan Free Trade Port and lay a solid foundation for independent customs clearance operations on Hainan island by 2025.