Health care for older Chinese people who lose their only child

摘要

Over the past three decades, the one-child family planning policy in China has had a substantial role in population control and in boosting the economy. However, it has also brought about a new phenomenon of "childless" older people in China, and this group is expanding rapidly.In 2011, the number of families who lost their only child across China rose to more than 1 million-a figure that is estimated to reach 10 million by 2035.2 In a country with a seriously flawed health system, elderly parents are heavily reliant on their children. The death of an only child at a time when parents are unable to have another can cause pronounced psychological trauma, including long-term grief, depression, and anxiety about a lonely old age without an adequate pension or proper health care.