Beijing wants a pension system for special family planning

Source: english.gov.cn

Updated: 2015-09-18

Beijing’s Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission has joined four other departments in looking for more ways to help family planning for people living in difficult conditions and has announced that this means more financial support, better medical care, and favorable housing, and possible an insurance system funded by the government for all families with family planning in the following ways:

I. Better care for the elderly and a pension system for those with family planning

Beijing’s mayor, Wang Anshun, convened a special meeting on Sept 22 of last year to get a report from the city’s health and family planning commission and their opinion on family planning incentives and assistance. The emphasis was on single-child family support for public benefits and social stability through policies and increase funding in line with national policy and Beijing's economic development, and safeguarding single-child families through aid.

In January of this year, Beijing’s People's Congress approved regulations on home-based care for the aged through pension policies and getting the rest of society to do more to deal with an ageing population. The idea is to coordinate the development of urban and rural pension services, and make the best use of government responsibility and services. Then, in February, the Beijing government gave its ideas on the reform of nursing homes for the aged and preferential policies for those from families with family planning who plan to stay in a nursing home. Public nursing homes for the aged only take in retired model workers, senior citizens with a work disability or those who have lost their only child or can't take care of themselves. General public nursing homes will take those from families with family planning when they turn 70, but the age restriction will be removed for those who are disabled. Any member of a family with family planning whose children are disabled can get into a public nursing home.

Beijing will change its Welfare House No.5 into a major nursing facility for those who have lost a single child and provide services for the elderly and serve as a model and 100 beds are already in place. Municipal family planning and civic affairs departments are now studying the elderly-care situation for family planning households to learn more about the needs of families who lose their only child. They have come up with a questionnaire covering 23 areas, such as personal information, pension needs and desires, and life and social support. The government says it will provide maintenance and care at reasonable cost for those who stay in public nursing homes and that each member of a family who has lost its only child will get a 500-yuan subsidy every month. The family planning department will also work with the civic affairs department to meet the basic needs of home-based care for the aged through social services for food, care, companionship and housekeeping.

II. Social resource plan and safeguards for family planning households

1. Beijing started a special program for these households, in 2012, that covers pension liabilities, medical treatment, accidental death, injuries, and serious female diseases with 74-million yuan in government funds that now covers 26,415 people,

2. The health and family planning commission provides spiritual support with help from the family planning association and other organizations for those who have lost their only child. There are also recreational and sports activities and daily care and help in building mutual support. By now, there are 75 of these facilities in Beijing's 16 districts, four at the municipal level.

3. There is also s fertility fund for family planning households with government input and donations from society to provide financial and medical care for family planning households

4. Beijing provides these spiritual, housekeeping and medical services for family planning households, with around 5,000 volunteers covering at least 3,000 family planning households and it is looking for more innovative ways to offer care for family planning households in the future.