Privately hired care workers for inpatients are a vital lifeline for many seniors whose children are often too busy to take care of their sick parents. However, as China’s population ages, the country not only faces a critical shortage of healthcare support workers, but also sees the overcharging of service fees, a lack of professional standards, and a welter of disputes and micro-aggressions within the private healthcare sector.

Therefore, many people have urged hospitals to set up geriatric wards attended by specialized teams of personnel. These healthcare workers should be professionally trained and managed by hospitals, thus relieving patients of the need to hire care workers themselves.

The gradual replacement of outsourced personal care nurses with strictly trained hospital staff is an inevitable trend. To accelerate this process, hospitals should take the lead by opening up positions for specialized personnel. At the same time, better medical insurance policies and financial support from the government should be in place to ensure a smooth transition.

(Beijing Evening News, June 15)