Shanghai to improve people-oriented services

Shanghai will step up efforts to help the disadvantaged during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, Zhu Qinhao, head of the city's Civil Affairs Bureau, said at a news conference held by Shanghai municipal people's government on Friday.

Besides combining offline and online assistance for vulnerable groups, the government will also strengthen social welfare services, including elderly care, benefits for disabled people and juvenile protection.

"Shanghai is the country's first city to propose the digital transformation of elderly care," Zhu said. "We will strive to narrow the digital divide for elderly people so that they can gain a sense of safety and belonging."

Li Yong, deputy director of the bureau, said that Shanghai will continue to renovate the homes of elderly, with 5,000 new households expected to be renovated each year from now till 2025.

According to Peng Chenlei, vice mayor of Shanghai, the city will make basic social services more standardized and professional and give full play to the role of charity organizations and volunteers in social governance.

"We aim to provide inclusive and efficient services aligned with Shanghai's status as an international metropolis so as to better serve our people," Peng said.

The minimum monthly subsistence allowance in Shanghai was raised to 1,240 yuan ($191) per person in 2020. The number of beds in nursing homes across Shanghai increased from 126,000 to 159,000 during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period.

Mei Linhan contributed to this story.