BUDAPEST, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian government will introduce a new childcare subsidy for foster parents from 2020, the government announced here on its website on Friday.

"The Hungarian government is to introduce a new childcare subsidy (GYED) for foster parents from Jan. 1, 2020," Attila Fulop, State Secretary at the Human Resources Ministry said, quoted by a statement published on the website of the government.

"The measure is an effort to strengthen the Hungarian child protection system," Fulop said.

Fulop added that 15,000 children in Hungary lived with foster parents and some 8,000 in state homes: "Therefore, strengthening the network of foster parents and boosting appreciation for child protection professionals are extremely important."

"Our goal is to make child protection workers more respected in all areas, because this profession involves a 24 hours commitment every single day," Fulop stressed.

It is also good for the children to grow up in a family, surrounded with good examples, according to the state secretary.

The measure comes in the framework of a larger scheme aimed at fighting the decrease of the Hungarian population.

Hungary is facing demographic challenge, with a strong decrease of its population, that is becoming older. If unaltered, this could lead to a financial crisis of the pension system over the next 25-30 years: there won't be enough adults of working age to pay for the pensions of the elderly.

To counter this phenomenon, the conservative Hungarian government has introduced a series of financial incentives, with serious funds to help young couples buy their first homes and persuade them to have at least three children.