POLITICAL advisers attending the 4th Session of the 7th Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference offered suggestions on applying technologies to social and economic development at a panel discussion Sunday.

Twenty-one political advisers suggested increasing the supply of quality public services in the housing, health care, education, and elder care sectors to enhance the sense of happiness of the general public.

Yu Dapeng, a lecture professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology, emphasized the critical role of science, technology, and innovation in driving social development and enhancing people’s livelihoods. He suggested creating an innovation atmosphere, improving relevant supporting services, and strengthening policy support for innovation.

Chen Shiyi, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said Shenzhen’s higher education sector is on a fast track, yet its development is still behind major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Chen suggested that the city should maintain a stable policy to attract high-level talent.

In terms of health care, Chen Junyao, director of Guangdong Ruite Law Firm, suggested breaking the traditional mindset that revolves around the health care needs of the elders. Instead, the city should focus more on the practical needs of young workers when alleviating the contradiction between the supply and demand of medical resources.

Liu Yuxiang from Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital stated that due to Shenzhen being a relatively young city, the medical demand is not as high as in aging cities, and many hospitals have not achieved an 85% bed occupancy rate. Liu expressed the hope that the city could further enhance the optimization of medical resource allocation, shifting the focus from expanding capacity to improving quality in hospitals.

Some 90% of elder people in China choose home-based elder care, according to Xiao Jing, chief scientist of Ping An Group. Xiao suggested building a diversified elder care system involving private investment and providing professional and standard services.

Wen Zhengfang, deputy chief of the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission, said Shenzhen is facing a shortage of services for the elderly. Government support and market operation are required to establish a diversified and multi-level elder care system, Wen said.

(Han Ximin)