China is taking a big step for tackling rising issue of dementia!
On Monday, January 6, Reuters reported that the Asian country has rolled out a national plan to combat the widespread societal concern that is posing “significant challenges” to the health and well-being of elderly citizens and their families.
The country has been seeing a rapid increase in dementia cases with ageing being a growing concern for the world’s second-largest economy.
Taking a huge step to counter the issue, the National Health Commission of China along with fifteen other Chinese government departments have made a plan.
The proposal, which is expected to be implemented by 2030, has mentioned “seven key tasks and targets” that need to be done for tackling the issue, reported the official Xinhua news agency over the weekend.
"With an aging population and rising average life expectancy, the number of individuals with senile dementia in China continues to increase, becoming a widespread societal concern," the outlet noted.
It further mentioned, “A continuous prevention and control system for dementia, covering prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and care, will be established by 2030.”
Much of the Chinese population is aged 60 or older as of now, and this is expected to see an increase of at least 40% by 2035, which would result in over 400 million people in China above the age of 60, which is equal to the population of Britain and the U.S. combined.
According to a 2024 official report, more than 16 million Chinese have been suffering from dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, which makes nearly 30% of the total dementia cases worldwide.
