Nurses take care of newborn babies at a hospital in Zunyi, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 12, 2021. China had more than 4.7 million registered nurses by the end of 2020, the National Health Commission said on International Nurses Day, which falls on Wednesday. (Photo by Mu Mingfei/Xinhua)

BEIJING, May 12  -- China had more than 4.7 million registered nurses by the end of 2020, the National Health Commission said on International Nurses Day, which falls on Wednesday.

The country saw 3.35 registered nurses every 1,000 people, and the ratio of doctors to nurses stood at 1:1.15, according to the commission.

It said the number of registered nurses will see a constant increase, with more efforts to be made to improve incentive mechanisms and nursing services.

The country will next focus on the development of nursing care for the elderly, community-level and in-home care, as well as hospice care, according to the commission.