New regulations to ensure safety of elderly care services

New regulations for China's nursing homes, day care centers and other providers of elderly care services will come into effect in November.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs, which oversees the sector, passed the new rules late last month and released them on Sept 1.

Xiao Dengfeng, head of the ministry's policy and law department, said a chapter on the registration of new nursing homes includes baseline requirements for service providers in areas ranging from fire and food safety to sanitation and equipment in an attempt to prevent safety risks following the abolishment of qualification review processes for such facilities.

Revisions to the Law on Elderly Rights and Interest Protection two years ago no longer required authorities to review applicant's qualifications before giving approval to the construction of new facilities.

Those revisions were part of China's sweeping campaign to change the government's role in socioeconomic affairs, and aimed to bolster the role of authorities in regular supervision of long-care facilities, said Yu Jianliang, head of the ministry's elderly care services.