Decree of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province

　　No. 198

　　Measures of Guangdong Province on the Preferential Treatment for the Elderly adopted at the Sixteenth Executive Meeting of the Twelfth Session of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province on December 4, 2013 are hereby promulgated and shall become effective as of March 1, 2014.

　　Governor 

　　Zhu Xiaodan

　　January 16, 2014

　　Measures of Guangdong Province on the Preferential Treatment for the Elderly

Article 1 

These Measures are formulated for the purposes of protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly and carrying forward the virtues of respecting, caring and helping the elderly, in accordance with such laws and regulations as the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Rights and Interests of the Elderly, and Regulations of Guangdong Province on the Protection of Rights and Interests of the Elderly and in light of the actual situation of this Province.

Article 2 

For the purpose of these Measures, the term “the elderly” means the citizens over sixty (60) years of age.

Article 3 

The preferential treatment for the elderly shall address the actual needs of the elderly, and adhere to the principles of government predominance and social participation.

People’s governments at or above the county level and the departments thereof shall strengthen the preferential treatment for the elderly and ensure that the social security, welfare and community services enjoyed by the elderly are commensurate with the level of local economic and social development.

The community shall carry out a variety of recreational activities for the elderly, shall guide the elderly volunteers with in the employment of their knowledge, skills and experience to make use of their personal expertise, and shall help promote the social reintegration of the elderly to integrate into the society so that they can contribute to fulfilling the sense of worthiness and lead a productive and joyful life in their old age.

Article 4

The elderly, by presenting their identity cards or other valid certificates, shall be granted free-of-charge or preferential treatment when visiting parks, scenic spots, cultural centers, museums, art museums, science and technology halls, memorial halls, libraries, cultural centers (stations), theatres, exhibition museums and stadiums that are funded or held by the government. Parks, scenic spots and other tourist attractions invested or held by non-governmental organizations are encouraged to give the elderly appropriate concessions.

Public service places that grant free-of-charge or preferential treatment to the elderly shall set up clear signs and marks showing such treatment, and shall provide the elderly with safe and convenient services as well as facilities and equipment that cater to their physiological needs and living habits of the elderly. The staff or service personnel of such public service places shall inform the elderly of the relevant regulations on preferential treatment.

Article 5

Priority shall be given to the elderly in the urban public transport, highway, railway, waterway and air passenger transport for such services as ticketing, entry into and exit from the station, ticket checking, getting on and off the vehicles and other such services. Seat(s) for the elderly shall be arranged in such transport vehicles systems when needed.

Special waiting rooms or seat(s) for the elderly shall be arranged in at the long-distance bus stations and train stations.

Specific measures for the preferential treatment of the elderly when they use the urban public transport systems shall be formulated by the people’s government at or above the prefecture level. 

Article 6 

Such service industries as the postal service, telecommunications, banking, catering, shopping malls, power and water supply, fuel service and maintenance are encouraged to grant priority and preferential treatment to the elderly according to the characteristics of each industry, and to set up clear preferential treatment marks and signs at their place of business.

The elderly have the right to use public toilets free of charge.

Article 7

Non-governmental sectors are encouraged and supported to participate in the development of education services for the elderly, and to expand the scale of universities of the third age.

The poor elderly whose household registration is within the administrative region of Guangdong Province shall be granted the preferential treatment of tuition reduction or exemption when attending a university of the third age.

Associations of the elderly at the grassroots level shall be strengthened so that they can play a role in protecting the rights and interests of the elderly, participating in the social welfare activities, organizing the elderly to participate in economic and social development activities and carrying out recreational and sports events.

Article 8

People’s governments at all levels shall take measures in the budgeting, taxation, land use, financing and other relevant aspects to encourage and support enterprises, public institutions and social organizations in the establishment and operation of  care centers and facilities for the elderly, and improve the elderly care service system which is characterized by home-stay, community-based and institution-supported features.

Professional service institutions and other organizations and individuals are encouraged and supported to provide the home-staying elderly with such forms of services as daily care, emergency assistance, medical care, emotional support and psychological counseling.

The government-funded elderly care institutions shall give priority to the service needs of those widowed, disabled and senile people with financial difficulty.

People’s government at the county level or above shall provide, in a progressive manner, the elderly care subsidies to the elderly with financial difficulty whose household registration is within the administrative region of this Province.

Article 9 

The service industries whose business is closely related to the daily life of the elderly are encouraged to connect with the information networks for caring the elderly and calling assistance services set up by the people’s governments and the departments concerned at all levels, and achieve full coverage of the daily needs and assistance services of the elderly within the region.

Article 10

People’s governments at all levels shall establish and improve the medical assistance system, incorporating the elderly supported by the system of five guarantees (food, clothing, medical care, housing and burial expenses) in rural areas and the elderly supported by the system of minimum standard of living into the scope of medical assistance, in accordance with relevant regulations of this Province.

If the elderly whose household registration is within the administrative region of this Province are recipients of the five guarantees in rural areas, disabled without the capacity of work, low-income patients with serious illness, receivers of minimum standard of living, or members of low-income families, the government shall fully cover the part contributed by the elderly in the medical insurance for urban and rural residents.

People’s governments at all levels shall, in light of the actual situation, partly cover the elderly’s medical insurance for urban and rural residents if the elderly whose household registration is within the administrative region, are over seventy (70) years old. The rural collective economic organizations shall, where feasible, provide subsidies to the elderly’s medical insurance for urban and rural residents.

The medical institutions shall facilitate the elderly’s medical treatment, and gradually establish such services as the preferential medical treatment channel. Primary health care institutions shall establish health records for the elderly over sixty-five (65) years old within the community, and provide free health management service once a year, including lifestyle and health status assessment, physical examination, auxiliary check and health guidance.

Article 11

People’s governments at all levels shall incorporate the elderly with financial difficulty into the special relief group. They shall, according to the degree of disability, offer nursing subsidies to the elderly whose household registration is within the administrative area of this Province, if such elderly are unable to take care of themselves for a long period, and are in financial difficulty.

The people’s government with which the elderly’s household is registered shall provide free-of-charge basic funeral services for the elderly who are recipients of the five guarantees in rural area, the minimum standard of living, or special care due to living difficulties, if the remains of the elderly are to be cremated after death.

Article 12

The elderly who are eligible for the indemnificatory housing of this Province shall be given priority to when bringing into the scope of indemnificatory housing. Among them, the lonely or widowed elderly with no or low income shall be exempted from payment of rental if they rent the public housing.

The elderly whose household registration is within the administrative region of this Province shall be granted the priority treatment in selection of the building floor(s) under the same conditions when they are resettled for the demolition (requisition) of their houses(owned or leased).

Article 13

People’s governments at or above the county level shall establish a system of government allowances for the over-80-year-old elderly residents with local household registration.

Article 14

Retired cadres aged at sixty (60) or above under the management of the troops stationed in the Province shall be granted the preferential treatment according to local regulations.

Article 15

Where any department or organization, in violation any provision of these Measures, fails to fulfill the obligation of providing the elderly preferential treatment, the competent department shall criticize and educate such department or organization, and order it to make correction. Where a state functionary violates the law or has dereliction of duties, causing damage to the lawful rights and interests of the elderly, its employer or its superior authority may order him/her to make corrections and impose disciplinary punishment by law. Where the act constitutes a crime, the criminal liability shall be investigated according to law.

Article 16

These Measures shall become effective as of March 1, 2014.