Beijing to ‘guarantee’ funding for health care, education and pensions in China’s poorest regions
The central government pledges to set a floor for basic public services but a question mark hangs over costs and access for migrant workers
China will set nationwide minimum standards for basic public services, including education, health care and pensions, with the central government shouldering the bulk of the funding burden for the programmes in the country’s poorest provinces.
Without saying how much the plan might cost or how it would work, the State Council, China’s cabinet, said this week it would start rolling out the scheme in January next year.
It said the goal was to have a “basic public service system and guarantee mechanism” with “clearly defined responsibilities and reasonable standards” in place by 2020.
Under the existing system, provincial and municipal authorities are responsible for financing welfare and social services in their jurisdictions despite having to hand over much of their fiscal revenue to Beijing. As a result, schools, hospitals and other public services in underprivileged areas are often underfunded.
The new scheme would also help fund vocational training, employment, family planning and a basic living allowance, the State Council said.
The funding to each region would depend on the affluence of each area, and the type of service required, it said.