(Yicai Global) Sept. 13 -- Shaanxi province will fully liberalize its elderly care services in 2020. At that time, elderly care services will become a new driving force for social development.

Shaanxi Province will fully liberalize the pension service in 2020, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today, citing the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government. The government will provide and operate at least 50 percent of the province's bed for old people.

The government of Shaanxi has released a document on improving the quality of elderly care services, which will be implemented from Sept. 30. For-profit endowment institutions will operate according to "simplified procedures," the document said. Non-profit ones will be able to establish multiple service outlets. The province will adopt private-public partnership projects to attract social capital to the construction and operation of nursing homes.

To improve the construction of community nursing services and home-based care facilities, Shaanxi will require reasonable planning during setup. The province will support the establishment of self-service, mutual assistance service facilities. Shaanxi will accelerate the renovation of facilities in elderly residential communities and areas that old folks live via government subsidies and resident-backed crowdfunding.

Shaanxi will require medical institutions to open geriatrics departments and outpatient clinics and to cooperate with pension service agencies to open a referral and consultation services green channel. By 2020, Shaanxi government beds for the old will account for at least 30 percent of the province's pension beds.