Guardians of mentally ill people who took good care of their wards can receive monetary support from Beijing's local government, the capital's Commission of Health and Family Planning announced on Monday. 

The measure, which was introduced last year, was only implemented in selected areas in Beijing since February this year. However, the local government has promised that the it will eventually cover the entire city. 

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The subsidy amounts to ¥200 ($30.6) monthly or ¥2,400 ($368) annually. However, there are some strict guidelines. 

Upon application at the local subdistrict office where they are residents, there will be thorough inspection to ensure that the guardian has taken good care of the mentally ill patient. The patient should have not harmed anyone for the past year. 

"The subsidy is expected to encourage good care of the estimated 58,000 people with serious mental disorders in Beijing and reduce accident," said commission spokesman Gap Xiaojun. 

The patient's mental health should be reported regularly, and must not be abused or abandoned.

Guardians' fault

"A major reason for accidents involving people with serious mental disorders in Beijing in the past several years has been a lack of oversight by guardians," said Li Zhibo, an official of Beijing's General Social Security Management Office. 

In 2013, a mentally ill man named Wang Xuezhi, stabbed four people with a knife in a supermarket, killing one. He was sentenced to a lifetime in prison, a considerably light sentence which was due to his disorder. 

Last year, a child was killed and seven others were injured when a man with mental illness went to a restaurant in Shenzhen.  

"Many accidents could have been avoided if such individuals had been properly taken care of," said Zhang Shouzi, a psychiatrist at the Beijing Geriatric Hospital. 

About 4.3 million mentally ill people were recorded in 2014, with more than 55 percent of them living below the poverty line. 

TagsMentally ill, mentally ill in China, Beijing, Beijing subsidy, subsidy of mentally ill people, subsidy for healthcare