China’s healthcare system races to catch up with rapid ageing

By 2035, about 30 per cent – more than 400 million people – of China’s population is expected to be 60 and above.

BEIJING: Before Zhou Jiayi’s retired father fell gravely ill, she had been his primary caregiver. 

But when the 67-year-old was diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer that develops in the adrenal glands above the kidneys, she quickly realised the demands of his illness were far beyond what she could manage alone. 

As her ailing father’s condition deteriorated, she turned to palliative care services, seeking specialised support focused not just on the sickness, but on easing his pain and preserving his dignity. 

She eventually admitted him to a facility in Beijing, where he received round-the-clock medical supervision and psychological support – professional care that Zhou says she could never have provided on her own.