NPC deputy advocates consumption vouchers for elderly, child care

Consumption vouchers or subsidies can be provided for families with infants aged 0 to 3 and senior people over 70 years old, said Zhuo Changli, 62, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress and head of an agency in Jinan, Shandong province, that specializes in domestic services and care for the elderly and children.

According to her, caring for the elderly and children has become a rigid demand for many families. But these two major groups still face some difficulties in getting social services.

For example, there is an insufficient supply of infant care services, and the quality of services varies. The demand for elderly care services is also difficult to meet. She suggested implementing a policy similar to the currently implemented old-for-new policy in consumer goods like household appliances, by providing consumption vouchers or subsidies for the old and young.

She said such vouchers can only be used for offsetting discounts through consumption and cannot be exchanged for cash.

For children, such vouchers can cover services they need like infant care and parenting guidance, and for old people, they can reduce their expenses in home-based elderly care and institutional elderly care.

"If provided in the form of consumption subsidies, allowing the elderly and parents of children to choose freely, it can achieve better results. If you consume, you receive a subsidy; if you do not have the demand and do not consume, you do not receive a subsidy. This makes it fairer and more responsive to societal needs. Leveraging this kind of small subsidy may stimulate a large market and can be sustainable in the long run," said Zhuo.