PESHAWAR: The health department is extending incentives to the patients aging 60 or above in the fulfillment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senior Citizens Act, 2014 at the government-run hospitals across the province, according to officials.

They said that the law was aimed at giving priority to elderly people during checkup in OPDs and hospitalisation in the public sector hospitals. The law passed by the provincial assembly seeks wellbeing, comfort and dignity of senior citizens in all government departments in the province.

A letter has been issued by health department to all hospitals to ensure that the law benefits the targeted population. It said that the privileges included separate counters for senior citizens, concession in medicine and medical charges as well as separate medical wards for their ease.

The letter said that the law was enacted to ensure welfare of senior citizens in accordance with its Section 9 which provided for ‘privileges’ of a senior citizen, in lieu of the senior citizens card. A council has been formed in accordance with the law to work on the cards that will be issued to the entitled people. However, before that, the department wants to extend benefits to the citizens, who are 60 or above, in accordance with their Computerised National Identity Cards.

Health dept working on healthcare strategy for elderly people

“The health department has been working on a healthcare strategy for ageing population which includes, community geriatric nursing, mental health specially focused on geriatric psychiatry, daycare centres, fall prevention avoidance lessons as well as environment, chronic multiple illnesses management, hospices and health promotion strategy towards ‘prevention and wellbeing during their lifetimes,” said the letter.

It said that elderly people would be given preferential treatment at the hospitals. The letter, issued by Health Secretary Abid Majeed, has directed that all government hospitals must establish separate OPD counters for senior citizens so they are not kept waiting and in case of space limitation, it must be ensured that in waiting lines, anyone above 60 is allowed to move to the front of the line.

“Concessions in medicine and medical charges package needs to be worked out based on cards that will be issued by KP Senior Citizens Welfare Council and concessionary regime can only be implemented after determination and funding,” it said.

However, the health department is moving a summary for waiver of full or a part of OPD and admission charges for hospitals under its control to the competent authority.

As establishment of separate wards in district headquarters hospitals will not be possible, separate enclosures in wards should be identified for hospitalised senior citizens, who should be entitled to preference in admissions and matters relating to patients care.

“These arrangements should be explicitly displayed at the hospitals for the convenience for which directives have been issued for compliance,” said the letter. It said that hospitals were required to send implementation certificate to the higher authorities.

To ensure implementation of the law, the health department has asked its Independent Monitoring Unit, divisional and district steering committees to include this indicator in the monitoring tools and parameters.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2017