Meeting on Protection and Welfare of Elderly Persons

T he National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, India held a meeting of its Core Group on Protection and Welfare of Elderly Persons in New Delhi on the 7th February 2018. Mr. S.C Sinha, Member, NHRC chaired it. Besides the NHRC Core Group Members and the special invitees, the senior officers of the Commission, who attended the meeting included: Mr. Ambuj Sharma, Secretary General, Dr. Ranjit Singh, Joint Secretary (P&A) and Dr. M.D.S. Tyagi Joint Director (Research).
Post discussions, some of the important suggestions, which emerged, were as follows:
1. As per the Advisory of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, every police station has to have a Committee for the senior citizens, which would act as pressure groups.
2. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare should come out with a new product in the National Programme for Health Care of elderly persons, which may cover their medical consultation.
3. Large Old Age Homes with a capacity of 1000-1500 people should be constructed with attached hospital and residential schools on the lines of a similar model existing in Gujarat.
4. Keep the senior citizens ambulant so that they continue to live at their place of living without being shifted to Old Age Homes in connection with the research activities for the chronic elderly diseases and ageing as per Para (iv) of Section 20 of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (MWPSC) Act, 2007.
5. The construction of building for Old Age Home requires massive expenditure for which government may use its mandate under Companies Act, 2013 towards Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to supplement its efforts in this regard.