China to expand rehabilitation, nursing care capacity by 2030

China aims to have about 0.48 rehabilitation and nursing care beds per 1,000 people by 2030, while cities with large elderly populations should have at least one public rehabilitation hospital or nursing home, according to an action plan jointly issued by the National Health Commission and the National Development and Reform Commission on Thursday.

The action plan outlines a series of measures to expand rehabilitation and nursing care capacity to meet the needs of the country's rapidly growing elderly population.

It calls for secondary and higher-level hospitals to establish rehabilitation and nursing care wards or designated areas, while supporting grassroots healthcare institutions in strengthening their basic capabilities in these areas.

The plan also calls for greater efforts to train rehabilitation and nursing care professionals. By 2030, China aims to have 0.7 rehabilitation physicians and 1.6 rehabilitation therapists per 10,000 people.

It also seeks to improve the continuity and standardization of rehabilitation and nursing care services, while tapping the potential of traditional Chinese medicine and artificial intelligence technologies.

Efforts will also be made to promote the development and application of innovative products, with a focus on frontier technologies such as brain-computer interfaces, embodied intelligence and bionic actuation. The plan calls for breakthroughs in key technologies, including intelligent rehabilitation equipment, implantable and interventional devices, and new biomaterials.