Union government has allocated a dedicated Rs.150 crore fund for geriatric care in the country. It intends to support eight geriatric regional centres in India. Presently, there is inadequate focus on the healthcare needs of elderly population. There are neither adequate facilities nor the training or education in geriatric disease diagnosis and treatment.

Although the allocation of Rs.150 crore came in during the Union Budget 2013-14, the government has now agreed to extend its national programme for the elderly focusing on infrastructural development and support services to the geriatric patients.

The country’s ageing population is growing at an alarming rate. The estimated increase of the elderly population in India is 120 million by 2014-2015. Now these geriatric healthcare facilities require specialized equipment and also trained nurses and paramedical staff to render the required services to older patients. Therefore the focus is to create new health environment for geriatric healthcare, Dr VP Rao, scientific advisor, BioGenesis Euro Indian Health Cluster told Pharmabiz.

Currently India cannot be compared to the western world or even the emerging markets of Middle East, North Africa, Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa apart from the South East Asian countries as these countries have a Geriatric Health Care system in place, he added.

To begin with, the government is looking to establish eight centres in India and would definitely expand the same, going by the burgeoning ageing patient group. Further, going by a separate allocation of Rs.1061 crore for alternative medicine and Rs.1,650 crore for establishment of more AIIMS-like centres are all seen as a healthy step forward for healthcare in India utilizing ayurvedic and alternative medicine, he said.

Now the allocation for the elderly care by the Union government has come in after fiRs.International Conference on "Healthy Ageing in the Changing World 2012" which created an awareness to team up for frequent interaction with the government in various meetings. This convinced the government on the urgency to have a dedicated Geriatric Health Care Support, said Dr Rao.

Now with the government also setting aside a substantial allocation for Ayush, the new eight geriatric regional centres in India could have access to the ayurvedic medicine and treatment which is seen as quite safe for the elderly for many centuries. In fact, for most of the chronic diseases, treatment prescribed is ayurvedic which is reported to be effective, he pointed out.

The major challenges to handle health of the elderly in India is that there is serious paucity of specialist treatment care in geriatrics. Except AIIMS Delhi and Madras General Hospital, even education in geriatrics is also limited to these two centres in India.

“In India geriatric care is insignificant as compared to the West. However, there are currently a few specialists in geriatrics appointed by corporate hospitals who are educated and trained from the UK and US. We should make a massive effort in the area of geriatric education at the level of graduate and post graduate. Post doctorate and specialist training centre for nursing, paramedical sciences are required,” said Dr Rao.