Health Minister urges Corporates to focus on Elderly Care

New Delhi: “Corporate leaders across all sectors should explore opportunities of investment in the emerging field of senior care.” This was stated by Smt Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare during her keynote address at the ‘1st Annual Senior Care Conclave’ organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), here today. Speaking at the function, Smt Anupriya Patel stated that the rapidly changing global demographics have resulted in a sharp rise in the demand for senior care services.

“Health services are to be designed in such a way that there is a complete coordination across the thread of care providers to cure acute conditions and symptoms,” she said. Smt Anupriya Patel also released a CII Report“ Igniting Potential in Senior Care Services” and inaugurated an exhibition at the event.

Speaking at the occasion, Smt Anupriya Patel stated that the rapidly changing global demographics have resulted in a sharp rise in the demand for senior care services. This coupled with an increased life expectancy of the population, and an increased tendency globally to have nuclear families, has further accelerated the growth in the senior care sector, she said.

Highlighting the initiatives of the Health Ministry, Smt Anupriya Patel said that the “National Programme for the Health Care of Elderly (NPHCE)” addresses various health-related issues of the elderly people and the programme is an articulation of the international and national commitments of the government. The programme is State oriented and the basic thrust of the programme is to provide dedicated healthcare facilities to the senior citizens (>60 years of age) at various level of primary, secondary and tertiary health care, she added.

“The basic aim of the NPHCE Programme is to provide dedicated, specialized and comprehensive health care to the senior citizens at various levels of the state health care delivery system including outreach services. Preventive and promotive care, management of illness, health manpower development for geriatric services, medical rehabilitation & therapeutic intervention and IEC are some of the strategies envisaged in the NPHCE,”Smt Anupriya Patel mentioned.

The Minister further stated that NPHCE was launched in 100 identified districts of 21 States and Eight Regional Geriatrics Centres in selected medical colleges as referral units during the 11th Plan period. As on March 2018, 520 districts in 34 states and UT’s had been sanctioned for the provision of geriatric care services. “19 regional geriatric centres in government medical colleges of 18 states sanctioned for specialized care and training purpose.

Two National Centres for Ageing(NCA) in AIIMS Delhi and Madras Medical College, Chennai have been sanctioned to be developed as centres of excellence for geriatrics. In 2018-19, 79 more districts have been recommended, taking the number of districts sanctioned for the provision of geriatric care services to 599 districts,” She elaborated.