The rising number of hospice care organisations in recent years indicates more Chinese families are accepting the service, according to Prof Cui Yitai, director of the China Hospice Care Commission. 

Instead of the misunderstanding and even taboo of hospice care in the past, people had become more willing to accept it, letting their relatives spend the final years of their lives peacefully, said Cui. 

Since the establishment of the first hospice care organisation in Tianjin Municipality in 1990, China now has over 120 hospice organisations. 

Starting from 2001, the Hong Kong Li Ka-shing Foundation spent 25 million yuan (RM11.5mil) every year in building 20 organisations for hospice care service in China's 15 provinces and municipalities, which had provided services for 22,940 people, said Cui. 

"Though people come into the world with a cry, we should let them leave with a smile," the professor said. 

The aim of hospice care is to bring people comfort, painlessness and serenity in the final years of their lives, with sufficient dignity.