FG to establish 6 regional geriatric centres in tertiary hospitals

The Federal Ministry of Health says it will establish six regional geriatric centres in tertiary hospitals with a view to improving the health status of senior citizens in Nigeria.

Coordinator, Healthcare Package for Improving Quality Care on Ageing Population in Nigeria, Dr. Saidu Dumbulwa, disclosed this in an interview in Abuja on Monday.

Dumbulwa, who is also a public health expert, said the aim of establishing the geriatric centres is to address the health and social needs of the elderly in the country, through the said project.

He said the project is designed to advance elderly peoples’ health and address some developmental issues relating to them.

The coordinator added that President Muhammadu Buhari has acknowledged the social and health problems the elderly population face and sees the need to facilitate actions that would promote healthy living at old age.

According to him, governments at all levels are now becoming aware of the need to enact policies that would cater for the needs of the elderly who have become vulnerable because people have forgotten that everyone is heading towards that stage.

He said that the ageing population in Nigeria is increasing and there was yet to be a concrete strategy, framework or system for managing the social and health structure of the aged.

Dumbulwa noted that research assessment survey conducted in 2017 on knowledge, attitude and practice of healthcare workers in the ageing sector, shows that they lack training on geriatric care and gerontology.

“This might be one of the main reasons why adequate funds are not appropriately allocated to the care of older persons, as budgetary allocation goes with defence and justification.

“Based on the foregoing observation, the government, following the regional World Health Organisation (WHO) meeting in Addis Ababa in 2016, set in motion an actionable strategy with a view to improving the health status of elderly in Nigeria,” he said.

The coordinator said that the federal government came up with the new strategy to address the obvious aberration and neglect of the aged.

According to him, this includes increased budgetary allocation and involvement of development partners with a view to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Speaking on how to identify issues that the elderly were facing in accessing health and social services in Nigeria, Dubulwa listed challenges such as lack of affordable health insurance, out of pocket health expenses and dearth of age-compliant public buildings and transportation.

Others, he said were lack of education, inadequate information, lack of community and family support, as well as poor social support and rehabilitation. (NAN)