The central government has announced the list of regions selected for the 2026 County-Level Elderly Care Service Enhancement Plan project, with Zhoushan City and Ningbo City in Zhejiang Province successfully making the list and receiving a total of 60 million yuan in central subsidy funds.

Zhoushan City, as the prefecture-level city in Zhejiang with the highest degree of population aging and the most distinct island characteristics, has taken the integrated reform of basic public services at the municipal level as its overarching driver. It has consolidated elderly care resources across the entire region, addressed service bottlenecks in island areas, and innovated institutional mechanisms and models. These efforts have led to improved facility layout, more adequate service provision, more flexible institutional mechanisms, stronger digital empowerment, and warmer care services in the field of elderly care. This provides new pathways and experiences for archipelagic regions and cities with deep aging populations across the country, effectively enabling elderly island residents to enjoy quality care, joyful living, and a comfortable old age.

Moving forward, Zhejiang's financial authorities will thoroughly implement the requirements for reforming and developing elderly care services. They will continuously optimize the supply structure of elderly care services, which is based on in-home care, supported by community services, and professionally underpinned by institutions. This will drive the ongoing expansion, quality improvement, and efficiency enhancement of elderly care services.