Old
age syndrome
I
Sir,
This has
the reference of the article on National
Policy for older person published in
Daily Excelsior Oct 01 NPOP had in its
charter to go into the problem of shelter
health care, financial security,
protection, nutrition and welfare of
senior citizens has as pointed out in the
article not made worth while progress.
Its aim was also to find way and means to
utilize the experience of older people
for nation building. Due to this the
responsibility of old age care rests on
old people themselves and the NGOs
looking after them. As per a recent
survey 50 percent of elderly population
face economic problem. A large number of
poor old are not respected by them
children due to which they feel extremely
lonely. Again most of them are in need of
medical attention since they are
suffering from chronic diseases. It is
the poor who are facing maximum problems
in old age and all attention should be
focussed towards them for financial
support and health care. The Government
besides providing old age pension should
also ensure that old age homes are there
for them to stay when their children
donot look after them. The Government
should not leave every thing to the NGOs
and accept their responsibility towards
senior citizens including their health
care. It is no use saying Health for all
when poor cannot afford the treatment for
their diseases. All expenditure of the
treatment of the poor old should be borne
by the state. For this purpose the Govt
may ask donations from rich people and
other agencies.
For
solving psychological and social problems
of senior citizens, they should be
encouraged to lean towards religion and
spirituality. Hinduism has divided the
span of human life into four Ashrams.
After the age of fifty years the
individual as it is was supposed to
retire and devote more and more time
towards workship of God, studying of
scripturer . To meet this requirement
senior citizen homes have also come up as
some of the pilgrim spots.
Yours
etc...
Lt. Col R K Langar
Shastri Nagar
Jammu
II
Sir,
You are
old when you are not heard. Otherwise
being 70 is not a sin.
The news
item brough out in the DE of 30th instant
on "Mediclaim policy lapse of Govt.
Servants'' is most heart rendeing and
pathetic.
With the
bewildering spurt in prices on day to day
consumable commodities, the disconsolate
pensioner is in the whirlpoor of trauma
for it has become too difficult for him
to sustain himself. The Govt's apathy and
attitude towards this down-trodden class
of society is reprehensible.
The
lackadaisical attitude of the
bureaucratic class neglecting the
established norms in reviving and
restoring the Mediclaim Policy speaks for
the incompetence of the Govt. The
negligent may be brought to book for his
culpable dereliction.
Delay and
negligence breeds anguish and to protract
a noble mission is often to ruin it. In
acute despondency neceesity knows no law.
Accountability and transparency is
synonym with dedication and devotion
which is lacking in the instant case. The
bad state of governance overance often
provokes the Govt. Employee to come on
warpath who are normally averse to the
situation and loath unhealthy actions.
Will the govt. come to the rescue to the
employees/pensioners and address their
grievances, concede their genuine demands
which are over due now. (i) Mediclaim
Insurance (ii) DA (iii), Merging DA with
basic pay (iv) Enhance Medical allowance
to Rs. 500/-
The
greatest of evils and worst of crimes is
inconvenience and disconsolation. A
decent provision for the needy is the
real test of good society.
Live and
let live be the motto.
Sd/-
P N Sus
129, Surya Vihar Bohri,
Jammu
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