Central China's Hunan province has decided to double the monthly health care allowance given to nearly 400 senior citizens aged 100 or over in the province.
Li Dingkun, director of the Civil Affairs Department of the Hunan provincial government, said each of the centenarians will be given 200 yuan (US$24) per month as of March 1, doubling the original sum.
The increased allowance, together with their pensions, will ensure the basic needs of those senior citizens, said the director.
The decision was made as part of the measures the aging province has adopted to protect the rights of senior citizens.
Hunan's population of senior citizens, which is growing by three percent annually, totaled about 7 million last year, about 11 percent of its total population.
The Hunan provincial legislature recently approved measures to implement the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Rights and Interests of the Aged. The measures went into effect as of March 1.
From this year, the proceeds from lottery sales in the province will go towards facilities for senior citizens, the official said.
(Xinhua 04/03/2001)
