Make prevention the focus of health policy
3 months, 1 week ago

Make prevention the focus of health policy

Hindustan Times  

The government’s move to expand the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana to cover those above 70 years of age recognises a key need of the health care architecture in India — ensuring access to health care for the elderly by making it affordable for them to That said, there will be pressures on the fiscal side. As the ageing of the population accelerates in the coming decades, the pressure from funding health care will rise in tandem. While the elderly are the immediate catchment for this, there has to be concurrent efforts to also include the younger generations for accumulated effects on health later in life. Parallelly, the government must work on improving the reach and quality of public health care to provide affordable health care to all sections of the population, including the elderly.

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History of this topic

India’s Elderly Care Crisis: Healthcare Costs, Digital Divide, and Policy Gaps Affect 153M Senior Citizens
1 month ago

India’s Elderly Care Crisis: Healthcare Costs, Digital Divide, and Policy Gaps Affect 153M Senior Citizens

The Hindu  

Published : Nov 19, 2024 18:12 IST - 7 MINS READ “I still use checkbooks at the bank and don’t own credit cards, debit cards, or any net banking app,” says R. Sampathkumar, an octogenarian from Chennai. An Observer Research Foundation paper published in September 2024, titled “Caring for the Elderly: Need for a Sensitive Approach”, states that “40 per …

More for elder care beyond health cover
3 months ago

More for elder care beyond health cover

New Indian Express  

The world’s widest health cover recently got wider. It’s a much-needed step in the world’s most populous country that is ageing fast and where health cover among elders is abysmally low. Another valuable input should come from the scheme’s digital mission that aims to collate longitudinal health data of those insured. The 2011 policy suggested building a community care network, …

Evolution of the health care policy framework in India
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Evolution of the health care policy framework in India

Hindustan Times  

This paper traces the history of the evolution of India’s health care policy framework, focusing on its major objectives, challenges faced, and outcomes emerged. The key themes prevalent across most of these policies and specific initiatives included: increasing public health spending and reducing out-of-pocket or catastrophic health spending; addressing rural-urban inequalities in healthcare; developing primary health care; and achieving universal …

The burden of health care on India’s poorest
4 months, 1 week ago

The burden of health care on India’s poorest

Hindustan Times  

In recent years, the Indian government has made significant strides in reducing the burden of health expenditure on the common citizen. A particular focus of the government has been to reduce the burden of severe economic shocks due to “catastrophic” health care expenditure such as hospitalisation. In order to understand the character of catastrophic health expenditure, Artha Global’s Centre for …

A Budget that places health on the margins
4 months, 4 weeks ago

A Budget that places health on the margins

The Hindu  

With the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, the Union Budget expectedly shifted focus to levers of economic growth such as infrastructure and employment. It was also hoped that the recognition of population health as a vital investment for accelerating as well as protecting economic growth would see continued investment in strengthening our health systems. In the Interim Budget, …

India's elderly population expected to double by 2050: UNFPA
5 months ago

India's elderly population expected to double by 2050: UNFPA

Hindustan Times  

The elderly population of India is expected to double by 2050, according to United Nations Population Fund India chief Andrea Wojnar. India's elderly population is expected to double by 2050, UNFPA India chief Andrea Wojnar said, stressing that more investment in healthcare, housing and pensions is needed She added that this will necessitate more investment in healthcare, housing and pensions, …

Is India equipped to deal with the rise in its elderly population? | In Focus podcast
5 months, 4 weeks ago

Is India equipped to deal with the rise in its elderly population? | In Focus podcast

The Hindu  

Last week, on June 15, the world marked Elder Abuse Awareness Day. A report that was released by the NGO HelpAge India reveals that a large majority of them are not doing very well – their study conducted across 20 cities in 10 States surveying over 5,000 elderly citizens found that nearly 65% reported that they were not financially secure. …

What will be the impact of IRDAI regulation asking health insurers to cover those above 65 years of age? | In Focus podcast
7 months, 2 weeks ago

What will be the impact of IRDAI regulation asking health insurers to cover those above 65 years of age? | In Focus podcast

The Hindu  

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has asked health insurance companies to offer their products to everyone, regardless of their age. Until now, health insurance was readily available for anyone up to the age of 65, with companies under no obligation to cover those older. But now IRDAI has said insurance firms can extend their health coverage to …

Health Talk | Managing longevity challenges
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Health Talk | Managing longevity challenges

Hindustan Times  

Last week, the Indian Institute of Science announced the launch of the Longevity India Initiative, a project focused on efforts to extend human 'healthspan' and tackle ageing-related challenges. “There is an urgent need for diverse stakeholders from academia, healthcare and industry to come together, and nurture technology development and deep research on healthy ageing,” said Govindan Rangarajan, director, IISc. It …

India expands health insurance access: Senior citizens over 65 eligible for coverage
8 months ago

India expands health insurance access: Senior citizens over 65 eligible for coverage

India TV News  

In a significant move aimed at expanding the health insurance market and providing greater financial security against healthcare expenses, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has eliminated the age limit of 65 years for individuals purchasing health insurance policies. Effective implementation from April 1 The recent amendment, effective from April 1, allows anyone, irrespective of age, to purchase …

How PM Modi’s 'Health Insurance for 70+' Scheme Will Cushion Middle Class, Benefit BJP in Battle 2024
8 months, 1 week ago

How PM Modi’s 'Health Insurance for 70+' Scheme Will Cushion Middle Class, Benefit BJP in Battle 2024

News 18  

Over six crore senior citizens in India will benefit from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise to extend medical insurance coverage under Ayushman Bharat to all Indians above the age of 70 years if the BJP is voted to power. “Most medical insurance companies don’t offer medical insurance to those above 70 years of age, as they anticipate a high number …

NITI Aayog pitches for tax reforms, housing plan for elderly
10 months ago

NITI Aayog pitches for tax reforms, housing plan for elderly

Live Mint  

Government think tank NITI Aayog has pitched for tax reforms, mandatory saving plan, and housing plan for senior citizens in India, as the population of senior citizens is projected to reach 19.5 per cent of the country's population by 2050. In a report titled 'Senior Care Reforms in India - Reimagining the Senior Care Paradigm', NITI Aayog said a national …

India's ageing population: Why it matters more than ever
1 year ago

India's ageing population: Why it matters more than ever

Hindustan Times  

The world’s population is living longer and growing older. Notably, the Government of India has made positive strides with its forward looking and inclusive policies, programmes, and schemes such as the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly, the National Social Assistance Programme, the Maintenance and Welfare of Senior Citizens Act, 2007 and the Bill, Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana’, …

Why India should worry about its ageing population
1 year, 2 months ago

Why India should worry about its ageing population

The Hindu  

India’s policymakers have long flaunted the massive economic benefits that the country will reap from its huge youth population. An ageing population, many economists believe, could turn out to mean serious economic trouble unless India manages to grow its economy at a rapid pace in the coming decades. In a report released late last month, the United Nations estimated that …

Caring for the old: The Hindu Editorial on the United Nations Population Fund’s India Ageing Report 2023
1 year, 2 months ago

Caring for the old: The Hindu Editorial on the United Nations Population Fund’s India Ageing Report 2023

The Hindu  

A good part of the world’s population is growing older, and India mirrors this trend as well. The reality, according to the United Nations Population Fund’s India Ageing Report 2023, is that the population above 60 years will double from 10.5% or 14.9 crore to 20.8% or 34.7 crore by 2050. With life expectancy increasing, thanks to better ways to …

India will have a huge geriatric-care market: Kris Gopalakrishnan
1 year, 6 months ago

India will have a huge geriatric-care market: Kris Gopalakrishnan

The Hindu  

India will have over 300 million elderly people by the time the country celebrates its 100th year of independence in 2047, said Kris Gopalakrishnan, former CEO of Infosys and a venture capitalist who just floated Bridge Health, a proactive healthcare start-up. According to Mr. Gopalakrishnan, the country was yet to have a social security network, especially when in another couple …

Slow in Implementation, Slower in Prevention: Is India Losing Fight Against Non-Communicable Diseases?
2 years, 3 months ago

Slow in Implementation, Slower in Prevention: Is India Losing Fight Against Non-Communicable Diseases?

News 18  

Infections and outbreaks used to limit life expectancy a few decades ago, but recently, the burden of non-communicable diseases has caused a surge in mortality globally. Despite the availability of evidence which highlights the issue of escalating health and financial effects of NCDs, there has been poor implementation and slow progress in the area. NCDs, which encompass cardiovascular diseases, cancer, …

India@75: How India’s Health Report Since Independence Has Been Creditworthy
2 years, 4 months ago

India@75: How India’s Health Report Since Independence Has Been Creditworthy

News 18  

We are now in the third decade of the 21st century, seventy-five years after India gained Independence. According to the latest National Family Health Survey the fertility rate has fallen to less than the replacement level of 2.1 to 2.0 children per woman. Primary Healthcare Centres and 3-tier system India started its first Primary Health Centre in 1952 after the …

Data | With poor pension rates and high health costs, is India ready for the next demographic phase?
2 years, 5 months ago

Data | With poor pension rates and high health costs, is India ready for the next demographic phase?

The Hindu  

In the next 80 years, India’s demographic structure is expected to change, with the share of the working population declining and the share of dependent residents increasing. Click to remove AMP mode State-wise share The graph depicts the % of the projected population in 2036 in the 15-59 age-group and in the 60+ age group across States. In 2036, the …

Aged people need special care amid pandemic
2 years, 7 months ago

Aged people need special care amid pandemic

China Daily  

Medical workers help an elder use QR code for nucleic acid test at a community in Shanghai, April 9, 2022. In China, however, the impact of the pandemic has been disproportionately severe on the elderly people due to the rising aging population in the country. China has about 264 million people aged 60 or above and 191 million aged 65 …

Aged people need special care amid pandemic
2 years, 7 months ago

Aged people need special care amid pandemic

China Daily  

Medical workers help an elder use QR code for nucleic acid test at a community in Shanghai, April 9, 2022. In China, however, the impact of the pandemic has been disproportionately severe on the elderly people due to the rising aging population in the country. China has about 264 million people aged 60 or above and 191 million aged 65 …

Health Day 2022: Managing chronic ailments through preventive care approach
2 years, 8 months ago

Health Day 2022: Managing chronic ailments through preventive care approach

Hindustan Times  

India has a humongous burden of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart ailments and respiratory illnesses and on the event of World Health Day 2022 this April 07, we got a few doctors on board to throw light on silent epidemics and how to manage these chronic ailments through preventive care approach. Silent epidemics: Managing chronic ailments through preventive care …

The elderly are assets, not dependents
2 years, 11 months ago

The elderly are assets, not dependents

The Hindu  

In the past few decades, concerns about “population explosion” have given way to joy about a “demographic dividend”. As we move to a demographic where the growth rate of elders far exceeds that of the young, perhaps the biggest challenge that the country would face is to provide a range of quality, affordable, and accessible health and care services to …

Covid-19 and India’s eldercare system: Time to address the loopholes
3 years, 4 months ago

Covid-19 and India’s eldercare system: Time to address the loopholes

Times of India  

HelpAge India recently brought out heart wrenching findings about India’s elderly in both the household and old age home settings in the context of Covid-19. India’s current healthcare system takes a very disease-centric view towards the elderly. Recently, the NITI Aayog launched a campaign called ‘Surakshit Dada-Dadi & Nana-Nani Abhiyan’ in association with Piramal Foundation to ensure the well-being of …

India’s elderly population: Fiscal challenges offer opportunities
3 years, 4 months ago

India’s elderly population: Fiscal challenges offer opportunities

Live Mint  

Ample discussions surround the topic of India’s demographic dividend. According to the World Health Organization, India’s elderly population will rise from its current 60 million to over 227 million by 2050. Hence, even as the demographic dividend works to enhance economic growth, an increase in our elderly population and rising pressure on pension systems can offset our efforts. This posits …

Karnataka plans to launch coordinated efforts to help the elderly
3 years, 6 months ago

Karnataka plans to launch coordinated efforts to help the elderly

The Hindu  

If the warning for senior citizens health-wise was very clear during the first wave of COVID-19, the subsequent months and the second wave this year have had a larger bearing, not just physically but also emotionally and financially. Uma Mahadevan, Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, who is also the nodal officer for coordination with NGOs and corporates/private sector …

India's COVID vaccine policy leading to avertable deaths: Experts
3 years, 6 months ago

India's COVID vaccine policy leading to avertable deaths: Experts

India TV News  

The Indian government's Covid-19 vaccination approach has inappropriately prioritised people and is thus causing huge numbers of avertable deaths, warn a team of nine experts from research institutes in the UK and India. The government's current approach to vaccination- focusing on younger age groups- "is causing huge numbers of avertable deaths and is deeply inequitable, both between age groups and …

Elderly women need better care and support
3 years, 6 months ago

Elderly women need better care and support

Hindustan Times  

The pandemic has exposed, among other things, how the voices of women are rarely heard in the formulation and execution of policies that have a direct bearing on them. Though there was a realisation, well before the advent of the virus, that we have to plan for a geriatric population, this is not fully understood by either doctors or caregivers, …

Covid-19 Affected Health Condition of 26 per cent Elderly People in India: Study
3 years, 9 months ago

Covid-19 Affected Health Condition of 26 per cent Elderly People in India: Study

News 18  

The COVID-19 situation affected the health condition of 26 per cent of the elderly population in the country, who ranked it as their premier cause of concern, while 24.95 per cent said the pandemic has caused psychological issues to them, according to a new study. About 26 per cent of the respondents said the COVID-19 situation has affected their health …

Stopping the slide of health care in India
4 years ago

Stopping the slide of health care in India

The Hindu  

India’s health care is a dark echo chamber. What makes insurance and private health care an egregious combination is that the insurance backup incentivises hospitals to expand the bill but the patients do not get attended to in their best interests. In any case, insurance of secondary and tertiary care pushes out long-term investment by the state and people and …

Children's Day: COVID-19 showed us glaring holes in the public health system that risk the health of our children
4 years, 1 month ago

Children's Day: COVID-19 showed us glaring holes in the public health system that risk the health of our children

Firstpost  

Undernutrition continues to be associated with 50 percent of all under-five deaths and India accounts for third of the world’s stunted children according to the Global Nutrition Report 2018. As Oxfam’s Commitment to Reducing Inequality highlights, India’s spending on public health is the fourth lowest in the world. The result is an impact on healthcare delivery where access to routine …

Covid-19 should force India to think about its elderly population
4 years, 2 months ago

Covid-19 should force India to think about its elderly population

Hindustan Times  

In the last six months, Covid-19 has exposed the collective neglect and ignorance on how we take care of our elderly. The Association of Senior Living India, an industry body representing senior care in India, has played a vital role in allowing members to share information, and learn from best practices on how the senior living industry can manage better …

Covid-19 and Beyond: How to Support India’s Elderly During the Pandemic
4 years, 4 months ago

Covid-19 and Beyond: How to Support India’s Elderly During the Pandemic

News 18  

Most of us either have elderly parents living separately or know of elders in our neighbourhood living on their own. A report by the United Nations Population Fund says that India’s senior population will grow to 173 million by 2026 and constitute 34% of its people by the end of the century. Japan, for instance, has set up a welfare …

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