Bangladesh must prepare for rapidly ageing population: Experts
Average healthy life expectancy is higher than average life expectancy. To achieve healthy life expectancy, geriatric health care needs to be integrated into mainstream health care to ensure good health for the elderly population, experts say.
Highlights
- 9.29% of Bangladesh population is 60 years or older
- Bangladesh will transform into a full-fledged ageing society in 2048
- Average healthy life expectancy is higher than average life expectancy
- Experts suggest giving importance to geriatric care
- The government has decided to update Bangladesh Population Policy 2012
With Bangladesh's ageing population increasing rapidly, the country needs to ensure health and social care for the elderly to harness the second demographic dividend, experts have suggested.
At present, 9.29% of the total population in the country is 60 years or older, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics data. This group was 7.47% of the population in the 2011 census, which will increase to 22.2% in 2061.
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Mohammad Mainul Islam, professor of Population Sciences at Dhaka University, told The Business Standard that the growth of the ageing population in Bangladesh is the highest in South Asia.
"Bangladesh will transform into a full-fledged ageing society in 2048. Therefore, preparations have to be made from now," he said.
The government's strategy needs to be updated. It is not enough to have a policy, it has to be implemented, he asserted. "If we can think of the elderly as human capital instead of being vulnerable, then they will be an asset to us."
"Seniors citizens must also adjust to technology," the professor added.
Geriatric services
Average healthy life expectancy is higher than average life expectancy. To achieve healthy life expectancy, geriatric health care needs to be integrated into mainstream health care to ensure good health for the elderly population, experts say.
They also suggest giving importance to geriatric care in textbooks and the curriculum of medical students as there is a shortage of such in Bangladesh.
Dr Muhammad Rafiqul Islam, assistant professor of Medical Oncology at the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital, told TBS that various types of non-communicable diseases, including cancer, diabetes and heart disease increase with age.
"However, most hospitals do not provide all the treatments for elderly patients. If there are other comorbidities, elderly patients are referred to other hospitals," he said.
"Besides, a large proportion of elderly cancer patients are financially dependent on their families. So many of them drop out while taking treatment," the doctor added.
Dr Rafiqul Islam mentioned that last year there were 10,000 patients in his department, of which 3,000 were elderly patients.
"This means now one-third of our patients are elderly. This number will double in 2030. At that time, the existing hospitals will be twice as large. That is why preparations for senior citizens should be taken now," Dr Rafiqul Islam explained.
Population Policy
The government has decided to update the Bangladesh Population Policy 2012.
According to Mohammad Belal Hossain, a consultant on policy revision and a professor at the Department of Population Sciences at Dhaka University, the matter of taking measures for the ageing population will be kept in the population policy for purposes of the second demographic dividend by increasing the average life expectancy of the population.
These demographic issues will be highlighted today as Bangladesh observes World Population Day with the theme, "Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world's infinite possibilities."
