A nurse (L) and nursing assistant (R) help an inpatient with post-surgery rehabilitation exercises at a hospital in Shanghai, east China, Feb. 26, 2026. China's hospitals are piloting "companion-free" care services to ease the heavy burden of daily care-giving on the inpatients' families.
The new mode of operation requires hosting hospitals to directly employ trained nursing assistants to provide 24-hour non-medical care for inpatients with particular needs.
Such services used to rely solely on family members of the inpatients or private caregivers they hire.(Xinhua/Liu Ying)
A nursing assistant feeds an inpatient at a hospital in Shanghai, east China, Feb. 26, 2026.(Xinhua/Liu Ying)
A family member of an inpatient learns about the "companion-free" care services at a hospital in Shanghai, east China, Feb. 26, 2026.(Xinhua/Liu Ying)
A nurse (R) explains the "companion-free" care services to a family member of an inpatient at a hospital in Shanghai, east China, Feb. 26, 2026.(Xinhua/Liu Ying)
A sign for "companion-free" care services is displayed on an inpatient status screen at a hospital in Shanghai, east China, Feb. 26, 2026.(Xinhua/Liu Ying)
Medical workers share information on status of inpatients at a hospital in Shanghai, east China, Feb. 26, 2026.(Xinhua/Liu Ying)
A nursing assistant helps an inpatient walk at a hospital in Shanghai, east China, Feb. 26, 2026.(Xinhua/Liu Ying)
