China unveils plan to expand, improve rehabilitation, nursing care services

BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday unveiled a plan to expand and improve medical rehabilitation and nursing care services, with measures to increase service resources, strengthen professional training and promote the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Under an implementation plan issued by the National Health Commission and the National Development and Reform Commission, cities with large populations, a rapidly aging population and growing demand for rehabilitation and nursing care services are expected to have at least one public rehabilitation hospital and one public nursing care facility by 2030.

The plan also aims to provide about 0.48 rehabilitation and nursing care beds per 1,000 people, as well as 0.7 rehabilitation physicians and 1.6 rehabilitation therapists per 10,000 people, by 2030.

To improve the service system, the plan calls for strengthening the rehabilitation and nursing care service network and enhancing the rehabilitation and nursing care functions of medical and healthcare institutions.

The plan prioritizes support for cities at the prefecture level and above with more than 1 million urban residents in expanding and improving medical rehabilitation and nursing care services.

It urges improvements to rehabilitation and nursing care disciplines and programs at universities and vocational colleges, including appropriately expanding enrollment and better aligning training with employment.

Efforts will also focus on ensuring key departments, including intensive care, orthopedics and neurology, have medical professionals with specialized rehabilitation and nursing care skills.

The plan highlights the use of AI in rehabilitation and nursing care services, encouraging the adoption of rehabilitation robots, smart wearable devices and other technologies to support the monitoring of multiple health indicators and provide intelligent rehabilitation training and health management services.

In July, China's State Council unveiled a national health plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), aiming to raise the country's average life expectancy to 80 years by 2030.

It identifies expanding and improving rehabilitation and nursing care services as an important part of broader efforts to develop a high-quality, efficient and integrated healthcare service system.