THAILAND: Better Planning Urged for Elderly

HUA HIN, Prachuab Khirikhan (Hua Hin Today), August 3, 2006: Thailand will face a heavy social and financial burden from an increasing number of elderly citizens if society lacks proper planning and efficient measures to deal with demographic changes, said Prof Pramote Prasartkul of Mahidol University’s Institute for Population and Social Research. “Like that of other countries such as Japan and [South] Korea, the population of Thailand has changed, with a higher number of senior citizens. That should be a warning signal to society on every level, from the government to the family, to start preparing efficient measures to cope with the consequences,” Pramote said. He said that the elderly comprised about 10 percent of the population last year. During the next three decades, the percentage will leap to 25 percent, or 16 million people, which will exceed the child population, he said. Pramote said that the government must seriously develop measures to help ensure the elderly have sufficient income and receive proper health care due to their lower incomes, or lack of income, and to the deterioration in health that comes with aging. “Farmers, workers and low-income earners are the groups that the government should be concerned with by providing some social security and welfare for them; more than state officials or staffs of companies,” he said. He said that although the government provides welfare assistance to the elderly, it is only about 300 baht a month and is insufficient for their living costs. The assistance is not available to every senior citizen. “In practice, the government needs to cooperate with companies and organizations to improve the social welfare system. Communities and families also need to promote a better understanding of the elderly,” he said. He said that the government should educate the public on how to age healthily. It may also have to adjust its labor and public health care policies. “Since foreign laborers may be in need, the government must carefully develop an efficient system to be ready for this issue. The national health care system may have to focus much more on the elderly,” he said. According to Pramote, Thailand has about 62.5 million people—around 300,000 more than last year. The low rate of population increase, 0.5-0.6 percent a year, is due to the country’s annual death rate of about 450,000, while the country’s birth rate is about 800,000 a year, he explained. The number of youths and working-aged people will decrease as a result of the low birth rate, while the number of senior citizens will increase, he said. “People should prepare themselves before getting old by saving income and taking proper care of their health. That will help them depend less on younger people when they are old,” Pramote said. Copyright 2003 Hua Hin Today