'It's a dangerous legal void that runs a great public risk,' Wang Chunlan , a medical school professor from Anhui province who is also an NPC representative, was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

Under the requirements of the Ministry of Health, the ratio of doctors to nurses in hospitals should be at least 1:2.3, and that of patients to nurses 1:0.4.

However, only 10 per cent of hospitals have reached these levels, according to figures from the Chinese Nursing Association (CNA).

Across the country there are about 1,000 people for every one nurse, rising to 3.6 nurses for every 1,000 in major cities such as Beijing.

There are six million registered medical workers on the mainland, with nurses accounting for about 1.3 million, according to CNA figures.

A lot of progress has been made in recent years to recruit nurses. More than 300 colleges across the country offer nursing majors, and last year there were more than 50,000 college graduates with degrees in nursing.

But the numbers are still lagging behind the rising demand of an ageing society, NPC members said.

'Not only has the number of patients been climbing every year, but also so have their medical requirements,' Professor Wang was quoted as saying.

'They're hoping nurses can also provide health consultation, for example. Without sufficient nursing staff who possess improved professional skills their needs cannot be satisfied.'

The shortage has seriously hampered medical services, which is seen as a factor in the growing number of medical lawsuits every year.

NPC members also said there was an urgent need for the economic status of nurses to be improved. Nurses are often underpaid, especially in medium and small-sized hospitals, and their monthly salary in some provinces is below the minimum wage.

'Sometimes they have to moonlight to make ends meet, which affects their daily job quality,' Professor Wang was quoted as saying.