Shanghai Health Development Research Center (Shanghai Medical information Center), Shanghai, China.
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Pharmacology for Natural Products, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Biosci Trends. 2024;18(3):212-218. doi: 10.5582/bst.2024.01180.
One important challenge for global development is aging. China is one of the world's countries with the highest elderly population and the most rapid aging; in 2022, the percentage of the population over 65 was 14.9%; by 2050, it is expected to rise to 26.1%. China's health security, elderly care, and healthcare services are facing serious challenges as a result of this aging trend. With 80% of provinces including medical and elderly care in national basic public health care programs, China has adopted a proactive national plan to combat population aging. Moreover, geriatric departments have been established at 69.3% of public general hospitals at secondary and higher tiers, 48% of provinces have devises preventive interventions for disability and dementia in the elderly, 48 percent of provinces are serving as test regions for medical care related to rehabilitation, and 49 cities are involved in long-term care insurance (LTCI) trials that encompass 170 million people. There are 4,259 medical and health care facilities that provide hospice care services, 152 hospice care pilot regions, and 87,000 pairs of contracts between medical and health care facilities and elderly care providers. These developments provide a strong basis, but there are still major obstacles to overcome. The Chinese Government is urged to adopt early preventive measures, offer more ongoing, practical, and cost-effective diagnostic and treatment services, allocate resources equitably, and use intelligent technologies to enhance elderly care. The ultimate goals are to lessen the financial burden, enhance the health of the elderly, and offer a vital global resource.
人口老龄化是全球发展面临的重要挑战之一。中国是世界上老年人口最多、老龄化速度最快的国家之一；2022 年，65 岁及以上人口占比为 14.9%；预计到 2050 年，这一比例将上升至 26.1%。这种老龄化趋势给中国的卫生安全、养老和医疗保健服务带来了严峻挑战。中国将医疗和养老纳入国家基本公共卫生服务项目的省份已达 80%，采取了积极的国家计划来应对人口老龄化。此外，69.3%的二级及以上公立综合医院设立了老年科，48%的省份制定了预防老年人残疾和痴呆的干预措施，48%的省份作为康复医疗试点地区，49 个城市参与了覆盖 1.7 亿人口的长期护理保险（LTCI）试点。有 4259 家提供临终关怀服务的医疗卫生机构，152 个临终关怀试点地区，87000 对医疗卫生机构与养老机构之间的合同。这些发展为应对老龄化提供了坚实的基础，但仍存在重大障碍需要克服。中国政府应采取早期预防措施，提供更多持续、实用和具有成本效益的诊断和治疗服务，公平分配资源，并利用智能技术加强老年人护理。最终目标是减轻财政负担，提高老年人的健康水平，为全球提供宝贵资源。
