There are now more than 58 million elderly people doing regular
sports and fitness exercises in China, says a white paper issued
Tuesday by the Information Office of the State Council.
In recent years, China initiated the National Fitness Project,
which helps to set up public sports and fitness grounds and
facilities, and to provide space for elderly people to do physical
exercises.
At present, there are over 30,000 such sports grounds throughout
the country, says the white paper titled "The Development of
China's Undertakings for the Aged".
Since 2001, China organized the "Millions of Seniors' Fitness
Exercise Activities", which have attracted more and more senior
participants.
The Chinese government promotes mass sports and fitness
exercises among elderly people with an aim to improve their
physique and health, says the white paper.
By the end of 2005, the white paper says, all counties and
higher administrative units, 70 percent of urban communities and 50
percent of townships in rural areas had established sports
associations for seniors, which are strengthening organization work
and guidance for the mass sports activities of the aged.
By the end of 2005, the white paper says, over 15,000 community
health service centers had been set up in Chinese cities, and urban
community health services were available in 95 percent of the
cities at or above the prefectural level, and in 86 percent of the
districts under municipal jurisdiction and the county-level
cities.
"With visiting and taking care of patients at home, daily care
and hospice care provided by grassroots medical institutions
according to the special needs of the elderly, their health
problems can be basically solved within the community," the white
paper says.
According to the white paper, the establishment of an urban
community health service system has been sped up nationwide, with
emphasis on medical and health work for the aged, so as to provide
safe, efficient, convenient and economical health services to the
elderly.
Starting in 1991, the Chinese government began to include the
prevention and treatment of senile diseases in the state scientific
and technological plan.
So far, more than 50 institutions in the country are engaged in
research to prevent and treat senile diseases, says the white
paper.
The "three-level prevention and treatment work" (of heart, brain
and blood diseases as well as diabetes and other chronic diseases)
is being stressed, and the prevention and treatment guidance and
management plan for high blood pressure and diabetes has been
formulated and gradually promoted to facilitate the early
discovery, diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases related to
old age.
(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2006)