Uniform sustainable social, economic and health security system throughout the country necessary to extend clarity and easy access to services to older persons; says NHRC Member, Dr. D.M. Mulay chairing the Core Group on Older Persons meeting

New Delhi, 28th February, 2023

The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, India today organized a meeting of its Core Group on Older Persons focusing on their Right to Health & Access to Health Services and Economic Security. Chairing the meeting, the NHRC Member, Dr. Dnyaneshwar Manohar Mulay, in the presence of NHRC Member, Mr. Rajiv Jain, senior officers, Core Members and experts said that despite the National Policy for Senior Citizens and the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act as well as a number of welfare schemes run by the Centre and the State Governments, the old age population tends to suffer from several barriers to access them. He said that with the help of discussions with various stakeholders, it is necessary to sift through these barriers on the ground and find out measures to augment the benefits of government welfare schemes for older persons.

Dr. Mulay said that a uniform sustainable social, economic and health security system throughout the country is necessary to extend clarity and easy access to services to older persons. He said that the setting up of old-age homes by NGOs and civil societies needs to be encouraged however their monitoring is necessary to ensure so that these are not misused by unscrupulous elements for profiteering without providing health care services.

Earlier triggering the discussions, Mr. D.K. Singh, Secretary General, NHRC said that digitization of services has brought in transparency and awareness about various welfare schemes but their accessibility to the older persons due to the digital divide and their inability to operate internet aided tools remains a concern. He said that the Commission received a number of complaints on the issues of human rights violations of older persons and issues recommendations to the concerned public authorities for redressal of their grievances.

Mr. Rajiv Manjhi, Joint Secretary, M/o Health & Family Welfare said that the government is keeping a close watch on health issues, access to health care services to older persons as the population likely triple in the country by 2050. He said that about 595 district hospitals have been provided with a geriatric bed and others are being provided with geriatric care centres. Besides this, two national centres for elderly health care are coming up at AIIMS in New Delhi and Chennai soon.

The issues discussed included, among others, the need for having uniformity in old age pension in every state with the reasonable long overdue hike in Indra Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme from the existing Rs.200/- per month to people less than 80 years and Rs.500/- per month above 80; creation of geriatric care department in all medical colleges in the country; the opening of dedicated clinics for older persons in all public hospitals every Sunday; alternative sources of income and extending low premium health insurance cover to older persons; creating separate prison cells for old age prisoners.

NHRC Director General (Investigation), Mr. Manoj Yadava, Registrar (Law), Mr. Surajit Dey, Joint Secretaries, Mrs. Anita Sinha & Mr. Devendra Kumar Nim, Core Group Members, representatives of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Help-Aid India, National School of Social Defence, Tata Institute of Social Sciences and International Institute of Population Sciences, among others, participated.