Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Feb 28: Under the directives of the Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Medical Education Vivek Bhardwaj, the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir has decided to extend exclusive health care facilities to senior citizens in all district hospitals of Kashmir valley.
The DHSK said that the decision has been taken because of the growing old age population as the life expectancy throughout the world has increased.
“To provide better health care facilities to the elderly, the Additional Chief Secretary has desired to start these facilities across hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir,” DHSK said.
In this backdrop, Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr Mushtaq Ahmed Rather, has directed to establish Geriatric Care Units at all district hospitals of Kashmir.
“We cannot fight ageing. It is inevitable and normal. However, we can improvise the health care of senior citizens,” he said.
He said there will be a separate Geriatric Care OPD that will function every Thursday in all district hospitals of the Kashmir division. “Besides that, a separate ticket counter for the elderly will be functional at all district hospitals to manage the patients separately.”
In addition to clinical care, the directorate has also intended to hold awareness programs for senior citizens and caregivers for their overall well-being.
“We are conducting Geriatric Care workshops at JLNM Hospital for doctors, physiotherapists and paramedics from all district hospitals of Kashmir. Our aim is also to sensitize the society in general and youngsters in particular about the importance of elders in our society,” Dr Mushtaq said.
In-charge Department of Geriatric Medicine, JLNM Hospital, Dr Zubair Saleem said that getting old is natural, however, the process of ageing and course of illness is not similar. “To make a difference between ageing and illness, the normal inevitable ageing process needs to be understood,” he said.
Dr Zubair said because of the decline in the physiological functioning of various organ systems in the elderly, the drug interactions and drug dosage has to be used carefully among them.
Follow our WhatsApp channel