Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan (2nd R, front), also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visits a community health service center in Chaoyang District in Beijing, capital of China. Sun extended greetings to the country's over 4 million nurses as she visited the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and the community health service center in Beijing's Chaoyang District ahead of the International Nurses Day which falls on May 12. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan stressed the need for quality nursing services to improve people's health and well-being ahead of the International Nurses Day.

Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, extended greetings to the country's over 4 million nurses as she visited the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and a community health service center in Beijing's Chaoyang District.

Sun noted that China has made remarkable achievements in nursing services with an ever-increasing number of professional nurses.

Sun emphasized the need for innovating nursing services, deepening the integration of nursing services with the Internet and big data, and promoting online and intelligent nursing services.

The vice premier also called for efforts to address the shortage of nursing staff in the face of an aging population, adding vocational institutions should increase enrollment of students specialized in rehabilitation, nursing and elderly care this year.

The International Nurses Day falls on May 12.