A nurse looks after an old man at an elderly care institution in Zhangjiagang, Suzhou, Jiangsu province. [Photo/zjgonline.com.cn]
The bureaus of civil affairs and finance of Zhangjiagang, a county-level city in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, have provided 2.6 million yuan ($389,653.14) worth of subsidies to 19 privately run nursing homes in the city this year.
The subsidies have eased financial pressures faced by the facilities and helped them overcome the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, said Nie Hong, director of the Zhangjiagang Hexing Nursing Home.
The amount of subsidies depends on a facility's occupancy rate. Nursing homes that operate at over 50 percent occupancy receive 1,000 yuan for each of their patients. Those with an occupancy rate of 35 to 50 percent receive a 1,000-yuan subsidy for 50 percent of their beds each, while those with a rate lower than 35 percent receive subsidies equal to 1,000 multiplied by the number of 35 percent of their beds.
The subsidies will be no less than 50,000 yuan.