At a press conference held jointly by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Civil Affairs on September 4, it was announced that two mandatory national standards—the Basic Specifications for Elderly Care Institutions and the Criteria for Determining Major Accident Hazards in Elderly Care Institutions—have been developed and officially released. These standards are scheduled to take effect on August 1, 2027.

The Basic Specifications for Elderly Care Institutions establishes a clear baseline for safety and service quality across the entire operational lifecycle of these facilities, from establishment and operation to closure. The standard systematically outlines 90 specific requirements across seven key areas: site selection and construction, facilities and equipment, admission and discharge management, basic services, safety management, operational management, and evaluation and improvement. This provides elderly care institutions with a well-defined compliance benchmark, making it immediately apparent what actions are mandatory and to what degree they must be fulfilled.

In contrast, the Criteria for Determining Major Accident Hazards in Elderly Care Institutions codifies the procedures for identifying major risks, drawing on national experience in safety management. It classifies potential major hazards into three distinct categories: 25 direct determination factors, 28 comprehensive determination factors, and two types of exclusion scenarios, based on the level of danger. These rules are designed to be both scientific and practical, allowing frontline managers to quickly match specific situations with the correct risk assessment, moving away from intuition-based judgment and establishing a firm, standardized framework for hazard identification and prevention.

Looking ahead, the State Administration for Market Regulation will continue its collaboration with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, using the release of these two mandatory standards as a springboard to focus on enhancing safety levels and service quality. The primary initiatives will involve, first, strengthening the implementation of these standards by providing supporting materials, interpretation guides, and training to help local governments and institutions comply accurately. At the same time, they will support integrating these standards into industry management requirements to ensure they carry real enforcement power. Second, accelerating the development of supplementary supporting standards, including converting more safety-related recommended standards into mandatory ones to expand the national standard supply. Third, intensifying oversight in the elderly care sector through stricter market regulation and enforcement, legally combating violations that infringe upon the rights of the elderly, and contributing to the well-being and security of senior citizens in their later years.