Health Ministry plans megaproject for elderly care

Thanks to a mega project related to the development of healthcare services for the elderly, in the future, they will get access to healthcare services near their homes.

Deputy Health Minister Vichan Meenchaiyanant said yesterday the ministry is planning to ask for Bt9 billion from the government to support the mega project, as the greying of the population has gained momentum during the past few years and would usher the country into an ageing society in four years.

Under the mega project running from 20092012, the ministry will launch eight projects to develop healthcare services for the elderly, including 25 onestop care service centres in hospitals across country, a centre for excellence in ageing and geriatric health, clinics for seniors in 69 hospitals nationwide and elderly care centres.

The focus is on providing primary care service in the community to the older generation with chronic diseases. That calls for developing human resources and caretakers and transportation services for those with acute or chronic medical conditions.

The geographical information system will be harnessed to stitch together a health profile of the elderly across the country.

The ministry forecasts that by 2011, the elderly will make up 11 per cent of the total population. Then the average age for men would be 69.5 years and for women 76.3. At present, Thailand has 7 million seniors, of whom about 80 per cent suffer from chronic or congenital diseases, and 25 per cent are disabled.

The rapid growth of the elderly as projected in the next few years has prompted the ministry and other agencies to take preventive measures such as preparing medical personnel, including doctors, nurses and public health officers, as well as physical therapists and psychologists to cater to that segment of society.