BEIJING - Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong on Sunday called for efforts to develop health care for the elderly.

Liu made the remarks while inspecting a nursing home in Beijing, on the day when 600,000 medical staff started a nationwide week-long campaign to provide free medical consultation for the public across the country.

Liu said nongovernmental sectors should be encouraged to participate in the nursing and health care for the aged, while grassroots medical institutions shall play a more active role in community-level daily care and management of chronic diseases.

China celebrated its first national Seniors' Day on Sunday. The Chinese government has made the ninth day of the ninth lunar month a day to honor senior citizens since 1989, and the revised law on protection of the rights and interests of the elderly that went effective on July 1 designated the day as Seniors' Day.

China will complete a social care network for its elderly by 2020, when the aged group is expected to reach 243 million, according to a program announced by the State Council last month.

China's population above age 60 reached 194 million by the end of last year, and China is the only country in the world with a senior population above 100 million. The figure is expected to exceed 300 million by 2025.