The National Health Commission said it will encourage and support more provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions to offer paid leave for only children to care for their hospitalized parents.

Since Henan province first offered such a program to only children in 2016, at least 10 provinces have followed suit, though specifics vary, including the length of paid leave and eligibility requirements.

The commission said this new form of paid leave helps enhance elderly care services for families with one child and protects their legal rights.

"These provinces have provided valuable experiences for other regions across China," the commission said in a statement posted on its website. The statement was released recently as a response to a legislator, who suggested last year such paid leave should be established as a national regulation.

The commission highlighted the punitive system outlined in the regulation launched by Fujian province in 2017.

The provincial regulation stipulates institutions will be ordered to pay a fine between 2,000 to 20,000 yuan ($297 to $2,970) if they fail to abide by the paid leave policy. They are also subject to stronger inspections and restrictions in areas including market approval and financial investment.

The commission said it will work with human resources and social security authorities to conduct more follow-up research on such leave and step up supervision of policy implementation.

It said more official guidance will be issued in a bid to prevent further widening of the regional gap.

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