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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka / The Daily Mirror / Opinion / July 28, 2009
The fastest growing segment in the population of the country will be the aged from the age 60. Demographic studies estimate that this population will increase from 1.92 million in 2000 to 4.45 million by 2025.. This rising increase has to be considered in terms not only of life expectancy which has been approximately said to be 74 years for women and 70 for males ( however this life expectancy shows a further rising rate presently) but also the demands the aged will make on the social , welfare and health services. of the process of population ageing needs to be looked at in the context of rising life expectancy. The large majority of the aged between the ages of 60 to 70 are yet employed, have partial employment or are self employment and hence though yet needing care do not provide a major burden to the state . However with the rising levels of life expectancy it is urgent that the state looks into the prevailing health care facilities and the social support that the aged would need.
UN projections estimate that with greater urbanization a larger percent of the population would be living in urban areas. However the future care of the aged will be effected due to the various social and economic influences that affect urban society. Urbanization as we see does lead to a decrease in the number of children a family has and this as we observe even today has limited the number of siblings a family has to care for aged parents , in addition the present trends in migration for employment and residence too limits the availability of family members for the care of the aged.
Further economic constraints affect many of the aged . A large number of them, especially in rural communities, are self-employed or casual workers engaged in the informal sector and work full-time in agriculture, manufacturing, and wholesale and retail trade. Many of these workers continue working due to poverty and the lack of social benefits until they are unable to do so because of ill health . Those in white collar jobs or in the state and private sector also have financial constraints when they retire, due to house mortgages , bank loans and settling their children , furthermore with the present economic context, many are compelled to take on early retirement due to retrenchment or cost cutting in various establishments.
As people get older financial constraints, especially the escalating cost of living, prevent the purchase of nutritious food and medi-care This usually leads to various forms of ailments among the aged such as hypertension, cardiac problems , failing eyesight hearing impairment, dementia, diabetes and urinary incontinence cause disability. Further the incidence of strokes too can create permanent disability to a number. Hence it is essential that medicare facilities should be available both for preventive and curative health care.
An act to ensure the welfare of the elderly was enacted in 200O titled Act No. 9 of 2000 for the Protection of Rights of the Elders The chief aspects of this act was the ; establishment of the National Council for Elders; protection of the rights of elders; registration of persons and organizations providing services to elders; establishment of a National Fund for the welfare of elders and the appointment of boards to inquire into complaints of elders and determine claims for their maintenance and other miscellaneous matters relating to their problems. Under the provisions of this act the Ministry of Social Welfare has established Day Care Centres both in urban and rural areas considering them as a necessary facility to look after elders when their family members are out of their homes. . A scheme for training home nurses has been started with this in view by the Ministry of Social Welfare with the assistance of Helpage Sri Lanka. In addition the Ministry has also taken steps to conduct training and awareness programmes, Health Camps, Job placement services, distribution of spectacles and other assistive devices to disabled elders with the assistance of voluntary organizations.
However it is necessary that the facilities provided for the elderly should not be considered under the ‘Head’ of a Charity to the poor and disabled. The elderly have a right to the facilities that a state can provide for the benefit of its people and especially with regard to health care the elderly must be provided with a medicare scheme of affordable insurance. Today when the state hospitals are often not only understaffed but lack sufficient space and facilities to provide the needed health care support for the elderly and as private medical establishments have an exorbitant list of charges for diagnostic tests and treatment it is necessary that at least the national Insurance corporation works out a Medicare insurance scheme for the elderly so that at an affordable premium they could obtain the needed diagnostic testing and minimum health care facilities. Perhaps there may be a possibility to include such premium deductions from the pensions that retired State employees and farmers and fishermen who contribute to the pensions scheme receive and though it may be a tedious process, premiums can be adapted depending on the economic viability of persons .in a sense having such a pension scheme will also reduce the welfare measures that the state has to provide for the aged who need medicare and hospital facilities.
Since except for national hospitals all other medical establishments now fall under the purview of the Provincial councils, those in charge of health in those councils could organize and motivate the health units functioning under them to prepare a viable health care programme for elders in the province. Medical officers in the Public health sector could have a specific weekly clinic for the elderly in their area and provide them with the medicines and advice needed for their s ailments or refer them to the hospital if further tests are needed. A medical card should be provided to them so that they will receive preferential treatment in state hospitals. Rural hospitals too could be instructed to hold a monthly clinic for the elders in the area and when necessary medical officers from the base hospital could visit and advise at these clinics. Since expenditure on health and medicare is limited in the state sector the optimum use must be made of the existing facilities to provide the aged with the needed care,. After all in the final analysis even as children are judged by the manner in which they care for their parents so too will a country be judged by its treatment of its aged." [
rc]
Copyright © Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.
The fastest growing segment in the population of the country will be the aged from the age 60. Demographic studies estimate that this population will increase from 1.92 million in 2000 to 4.45 million by 2025.. This rising increase has to be considered in terms not only of life expectancy which has been approximately said to be 74 years for women and 70 for males ( however this life expectancy shows a further rising rate presently) but also the demands the aged will make on the social , welfare and health services. of the process of population ageing needs to be looked at in the context of rising life expectancy. The large majority of the aged between the ages of 60 to 70 are yet employed, have partial employment or are self employment and hence though yet needing care do not provide a major burden to the state . However with the rising levels of life expectancy it is urgent that the state looks into the prevailing health care facilities and the social support that the aged would need.
UN projections estimate that with greater urbanization a larger percent of the population would be living in urban areas. However the future care of the aged will be effected due to the various social and economic influences that affect urban society. Urbanization as we see does lead to a decrease in the number of children a family has and this as we observe even today has limited the number of siblings a family has to care for aged parents , in addition the present trends in migration for employment and residence too limits the availability of family members for the care of the aged.
Further economic constraints affect many of the aged . A large number of them, especially in rural communities, are self-employed or casual workers engaged in the informal sector and work full-time in agriculture, manufacturing, and wholesale and retail trade. Many of these workers continue working due to poverty and the lack of social benefits until they are unable to do so because of ill health . Those in white collar jobs or in the state and private sector also have financial constraints when they retire, due to house mortgages , bank loans and settling their children , furthermore with the present economic context, many are compelled to take on early retirement due to retrenchment or cost cutting in various establishments.
As people get older financial constraints, especially the escalating cost of living, prevent the purchase of nutritious food and medi-care This usually leads to various forms of ailments among the aged such as hypertension, cardiac problems , failing eyesight hearing impairment, dementia, diabetes and urinary incontinence cause disability. Further the incidence of strokes too can create permanent disability to a number. Hence it is essential that medicare facilities should be available both for preventive and curative health care.
An act to ensure the welfare of the elderly was enacted in 200O titled Act No. 9 of 2000 for the Protection of Rights of the Elders The chief aspects of this act was the ; establishment of the National Council for Elders; protection of the rights of elders; registration of persons and organizations providing services to elders; establishment of a National Fund for the welfare of elders and the appointment of boards to inquire into complaints of elders and determine claims for their maintenance and other miscellaneous matters relating to their problems. Under the provisions of this act the Ministry of Social Welfare has established Day Care Centres both in urban and rural areas considering them as a necessary facility to look after elders when their family members are out of their homes. . A scheme for training home nurses has been started with this in view by the Ministry of Social Welfare with the assistance of Helpage Sri Lanka. In addition the Ministry has also taken steps to conduct training and awareness programmes, Health Camps, Job placement services, distribution of spectacles and other assistive devices to disabled elders with the assistance of voluntary organizations.
However it is necessary that the facilities provided for the elderly should not be considered under the ‘Head’ of a Charity to the poor and disabled. The elderly have a right to the facilities that a state can provide for the benefit of its people and especially with regard to health care the elderly must be provided with a medicare scheme of affordable insurance. Today when the state hospitals are often not only understaffed but lack sufficient space and facilities to provide the needed health care support for the elderly and as private medical establishments have an exorbitant list of charges for diagnostic tests and treatment it is necessary that at least the national Insurance corporation works out a Medicare insurance scheme for the elderly so that at an affordable premium they could obtain the needed diagnostic testing and minimum health care facilities. Perhaps there may be a possibility to include such premium deductions from the pensions that retired State employees and farmers and fishermen who contribute to the pensions scheme receive and though it may be a tedious process, premiums can be adapted depending on the economic viability of persons .in a sense having such a pension scheme will also reduce the welfare measures that the state has to provide for the aged who need medicare and hospital facilities.
Since except for national hospitals all other medical establishments now fall under the purview of the Provincial councils, those in charge of health in those councils could organize and motivate the health units functioning under them to prepare a viable health care programme for elders in the province. Medical officers in the Public health sector could have a specific weekly clinic for the elderly in their area and provide them with the medicines and advice needed for their s ailments or refer them to the hospital if further tests are needed. A medical card should be provided to them so that they will receive preferential treatment in state hospitals. Rural hospitals too could be instructed to hold a monthly clinic for the elders in the area and when necessary medical officers from the base hospital could visit and advise at these clinics. Since expenditure on health and medicare is limited in the state sector the optimum use must be made of the existing facilities to provide the aged with the needed care,. After all in the final analysis even as children are judged by the manner in which they care for their parents so too will a country be judged by its treatment of its aged." [rc]
Copyright © Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.
