MP advocates national aging policy

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsawam/Adoagyiri, Mr Frank Annoh Dompreh, has called for a national aging policy to make sure that the aged are reintegrated in the mainstream of  society.

That, according to him, would also ensure a smooth transition from working and the youthful population into the ageing bracket.

 The MP also called for the establishment of a fund for the implementation policies and administration of institutions and help undertake activities including education and media awareness programmes, research activities, support programmes and welfare issues for the aged in the country.

   Mr Dompreh, who made these suggestions in a statement on the floor of Parliament, said even though the welfare of the elderly was of great concern, there had not been any policy focus to that vulnerable group of the society.

Pension reforms

"Our policies have not considered the needs of the elderly to ensure that older people enjoy a satisfactory level of economic well-being".

The MP stated that the priority given to pension reforms in Ghana had deflected attention from the economic realities of the aged in the society to the pressing needs that had faced older Ghanaians over the decades.

"Our elders in Ghana are faced with challenges of poverty, healthcare needs, and health policy needs, which appears to be insurmountable", he said and added that health reforms rarely took into account the requirements of older people due to a missing link in the way the aged were categorised.

"They are highly heterogenous; the contexts in which they live are varied and highly dynamic, and their  needs are interlinked. Therefore this country needs a comprehensive, coherent and well-articulated intersectoral policy document as well as policy responses in the aged to meet their varied and dynamic needs".

Projections

   He revealed that a researcher had projected that the world population was expected to increase from about 600 million in 2000 to almost 2.6 billion in 2050.

  The projected increase in the number of the aged, according to him, was of great significance because of the potential high fiscal costs in meeting their present and future welfare needs.

   Mr Dompreh explained that for that reason, a comprehensive policy would not only get Ghana prepared to meet those costs " but it was also the right thing to do as legislators to secure the future of those who toil and sweat to build the nation".

   He noted that the creation of an institution for the aged would make it a participatory, consultative, and also involve all the key stakeholders, especially older persons who were all primary stakeholders in the process.

   Mr Dompreh said as it was done in developed countries, Ghana needed a policy to create nursing homes, both private and public, which could take care of the needs of the aged, who for various reasons could not live in their communities and interact with their families.

Contribution

 Contributing to the statement, a Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations, Mr Ibrahim Murtala, said the aged played a role in the building of the society.

 He said "we need to give attention to the aged. Equal attention should be given to the aged as it has been for the youth”

 Other MPs who contributed to the statement included MP for Ablekuma North, Mr Joe Appiah.