NANCHANG, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Hospitals in some Chinese cities are piloting "no-escort" wards to ease the caregiving burden on families, who are traditionally responsible for taking care of hospitalized patients, in response to the country’s rapidly aging population.
At the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University in Nanchang, capital of east China’s Jiangxi Province, Li Mannv was cared for around the clock by professional caregivers rather than family members. Her husband, Xu Changfu, said the "no-escort" service with a third party offering caregiving services has offered him huge relief.
"She underwent waist surgery a few days ago and I was on duty 24 hours a day. At night, I could only sleep in short bursts by her bedside," Xu said. "I was on the verge of collapse after three days. Now with the caregiver around, I can go home and focus on work without worrying."
The hospital launched its new service in July, partnering with Beijing Huijiafeng Labor Service Co., Ltd. to form a team of more than 70 medical caregivers. The service covers departments including orthopedics, neurosurgery and general surgery, and has served more than 300 patients so far with a 100-percent satisfaction rate, according to the hospital.
The initiative reflects broader efforts nationwide to provide more professional patient care as China’s population ages. China’s population aged 60 and above had reached 310 million by the end of last year, official data showed.
As the population continues to age, traditional family-based care for hospital patients will face increasing challenges.
"A single elderly patient often requires one or two family members to accompany them throughout their entire hospital stay," said Fu Hua, a professor at Fudan University’s School of Public Health. "That not only disrupts the work and daily life of family members but also leads to delayed recovery due to inadequate professional care."
Fu explained that "no-escort" wards provide paid professional caregivers to replace family members, easing the burden on families while allowing medical resources to focus on treatment.
For patients’ families, the benefits are tangible. Wu Feng, a local resident in Nanchang whose mother was recently hospitalized after a cerebral hemorrhage, said the service is more reliable and affordable.
"Finding a good caregiver used to be a matter of luck. We had to find one ourselves, and the daily fee was 180 yuan (about 25 U.S. dollars)," he said. "Now, for 150 yuan a day, my mother receives round-the-clock professional care and massages every two hours. I can even go home for a sound sleep. This was unthinkable in the past."
The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University plans to expand the professional caregiver team to 200 by the end of this year and provide them with training covering orthopedics and neurosurgery departments.
"Our goal is to help the caregivers better understand patients’ rehabilitation needs and provide better support to families," said Yang Zhen, deputy director of the hospital’s nursing department.
Unlike traditional self-employed caregivers, those employed under the new program are required to hold certifications, receive pre-employment training and pass weekly assessments. Nurses supervise their work daily and provide on-site guidance. Caregivers also receive regular health checks.
Hospitals in other cities across the country have also piloted the service. The Xiangya Hospital of Central South Hospital in Changsha, central China’s Hunan Province, and Jiangbin Hospital in Nanning, capital of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, launched similar services in the first half of the year. Authorities in Guangxi have even allocated 108.5 million yuan to train caregivers for 286 hospitals this year.
Fu said the new service helps tackle three long-standing problems: unprofessionalism, lack of guarantees and arbitrary fees among traditional caregivers.
He, however, noted that more regulation is needed, calling for a unified national certification system and patient satisfaction feedback mechanisms. "Families should be able to access caregivers’ records and the level of proficiency," he said.
Cost remains another challenge. Although government-guided prices have lowered fees in many areas, Fu noted that long-term hospitalizations still place a burden on some families. He suggested including "no-escort" services in medical insurance or offering subsidies for low-income households.
According to experts, against the backdrop of a rapidly aging population, the new service not only represents an upgrade in hospital services but also marks the beginning of a broader "hospital-community-family" nursing system.
If the professional service could eventually expand into communities and homes, it would greatly ease the caregiving stress faced by many families with hospitalized patients, Fu said.
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/1013/c90000-20375967.html