Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has commended the Tanzanian government’s commitment in ensuring the health and wellbeing of older people in the country.
According to the press statement issued yesterday by the WHO ahead of the commemorations of the International Day of Old Persons marked annually on October 1, the world body called for concerted efforts to ensure that the older population can enjoy the benefits of digital technologies.
This year’s observance will be marked under the theme of ‘Digital Equity for All Ages’ in recognising the need for access and meaningful participation in the digital world by older persons.
“The government has been instrumental in developing a National Strategy to Eradicate Elderly Killing 2018-2023, revising the 2003 Healthy Ageing Policy and putting systems in place to ensure that older people have access to medical service without facing financial hardships among other initiatives,” stated the statement.
The WHO underscored the need to make efforts to ensure the older population enjoy the benefits of digital technologies. According to the WHO, Sub Saharan Africa possesses 54 million people aged 60 years which is equivalent to 5 per cent of the older adults’ population worldwide.
This figure is projected to reach 67 million by 2025 and 163 million by 2050. The Statement revealed that the number of elders in Tanzania will only increase in the coming years with the commendable success of the government in reducing the burden of communicable diseases and the engagement for more commitment and investment in interventions against non-communicable diseases.
“Now more than ever, we must all cultivate behaviours, lifestyles and environments to promote health and wellbeing in order to have healthy and active ageing. In fact, ageing is a normal part of life. It happens to all of us, all the time, throughout our lifespan despite commonly held beliefs. What we do in life, and how we interact with our environments determines how we age,” noted the Statement.
“Older people are the backbone of society. They have accumulated financial and human capital to support socio economic development. They are the promoters of cultural values, arbitrators, and custodians of our history. We must develop and maintain the functional ability that enables well-being in older age thus allowing older persons to do the things they value,” WHO underscored.
The WHO accolades come just a few months after President Samia Suluhu Hassan convened a meeting with elders of Dar es Salaam region, whereby she explained key measures being taken by the government to improve the welfare of the elderly in the country, including review of the National Ageing Policy of 2003.
The Head of State said that the review of the policy was aimed to address some of the challenges facing the group, as the government works to enact a law to safeguard their rights and welfare.
This was after the Chairman of the Dar es Salaam Elders’ Council, Mr Salim Matimbwa presented before the President some challenges facing the elders, including limited access to health care services and poor representation in various decision making bodies.
Responding, President Samia said that all elders in the country have the right to health services at all health centres, dispensaries or the national hospital. She pledged to broaden elders’ access to health care services in the country and adopt measures that will help to protect them against the coronavirus pandemic.
As the world marks this year’s commemorations, the need for focused attention to older persons has become more visible during the Covid-19 pandemic with persons aged 60 years and above disproportionately affected and at high risk of severe disease and death.
The WHO is of the view that the Covid-19 response in many countries has not targeted older adults enough or in time to avert the disabilities and deaths.
Besides, the 75th United Nations General Assembly declared 2021-2030 the Decade of Healthy Ageing, an initiative aimed to advocate for global collaboration to strengthen multisectoral approaches to improve the lives of older people, their families and the communities in which they live.
