Shanghai serves the region's elderly with assistive device development
The development of rehabilitative and assistive devices in the Yangtze River Delta region is on the rise, a forum heard on Wednesday during the 4th China International Import Expo.
Government officials, experts, scholars and entrepreneurs brainstormed about how to boost the development of the rehabilitative and assistive devices industry at the 2021 Rehabilitation Aids Industry Innovation Forum.
The Yangtze River Delta health industry innovation service platform was launched during the forum, and 10 rehabilitative and assistive device companies to be located in the West Hongqiao area in Qingpu District inked deals there.
The first batch of rehabilitative and assistive devices rental demonstration communities in Qingpu District was unveiled during the forum.
"The Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau will step up efforts in cultivating and developing market entities in the industry, as well as a bolstering number of competitive and influential leading companies and innovation companies, encouraging them to research, develop, and design more and better rehabilitative and assistive devices," said Jiang Rui, director of the bureau.
"Cooperation in the Yangtze River Delta region will be deepened and Shanghai will be turned into a hotbed for device innovation and startups in the region," she said.
The number of elderly residents at or above 65 years old in the Yangtze River Delta region reached 35.5 million, accounting for 15.1 percent of permanent residents in the region, according to the 7th national census.
Scene at the forum
There were about 14 million disabled in the region.
"Rehabilitative devices are significant in improving life quality," said Yang Xiaojing, deputy Party secretary and acting director of Qingpu District.
"As the permanent hosting place of the expo, Qingpu District enjoys advanced technologies, diversified exhibits and active transactions brought by the event, which will deliver strong support to satisfy the diverse and international demand for rehabilitative devices," she said.
It is estimated that the market scale of rehabilitative devices in the delta region will hit 150 billion yuan (US$23 billion) by 2025, according to Yang.
Qingpu has formed nine industrial parks involving industries such as life sciences, medical apparatuses and instruments and healthcare.
The city's first rehabilitative device industrial park was established in 2018 in the West Hongqiao area in the district.
Rehabilitative and assistive devices cover all aspects of life such as clothing, food, housing, transportation and entertainment.
Devices that can help elderly, disabled or sick people are available to rent in 150 subdistricts and towns across the city. The plan will cover all subdistricts and towns in the city by the end of this year.
On the list are a wide range of devices, including orthopedic equipment, nursing beds, walking aids, wheelchairs, oxygen generators and limb rehabilitation equipment.
At the end of 2020, Shanghai's population aged 60 and above reached 5.33 million, or 36.1 percent of permanent residents, up 3 percent from 2019. Among them, 825,300 were 80 or older and 3,000 were centenarians.
