KUNMING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Medical institutions from southwest China's Yunnan Province and Singapore have signed a memorandum of cooperation on a training program to help improve palliative care in the province.

In the following three years, medical experts from Singapore will help train medical staff from Yunnan and other localities to enhance their abilities in palliative care, according to the memorandum, jointly signed by the Singapore International Foundation, the Palliative Medicine Center-Hospice Dpt, the Yunnan Health and Development Research Association and the Tan Tock Seng Hospital of Singapore.

A series of forums, training sessions, and symposia will be held under the memorandum, and excellent medical staff will be sent to Singapore to study.

The program is expected to benefit about 36,000 people in the terminal stages of cancer, those suffering from chronic diseases, and those working in the medical field by 2021.

China's elderly population is rising, and cases of sickness among the elderly are also increasing.

"Palliative care is about prolonging the lives of the elderly and improving their quality of life," said Ma Ke, an expert in palliative care.

Ma said palliative care has seen rapid development in recent years, but Chinese medical staff still need to learn from international experience.