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China's welfare plan for senior citizens

BEIJING: China plans to boost social welfare and medical services for its senior citizens as the country starts to feel the pressure from its huge elderly population.

The national programme on the aging population during the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010) was issued by the China National Committee on Aging under the approval of the State Council on Thursday. Li Bengong, a senior official with the committee, said that although welfare payments and medical subsidies for retired persons had been significantly increased over the past five years, demand had increased even more.

China's elderly population is expected to become 174 million, or 12.78 per cent of its entire population, by 2010, a big increase from the current figure of 143 million, the programme predicted.

According to the programme, China will integrate more seniors in poor areas into the rural cooperative medical care system and the old-age pension system, and is committed to solving problems for retired people with financial difficulties.

The pressure of the aging population in rural areas is very noticeable. About 85.57 million old people in rural areas, 65.82 per cent of the country's total, do not benefit from the social welfare system, pensions and lack adequate medical care.

China plans to increase the number of beds in homes for the elderly by 800,000 in the cities and by 2.2 million in rural areas in the next five years, the programme said. At present, China has 380,000 homes for the elderly. The programme also asked government at various levels to increase financial support for infrastructure projects for elderly people, as well as cultural and educational activities. By 2010, 10,000 more colleges and schools for the elderly will be built. — Xinhua

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