Among other facilities, the centres would be used for healthcare delivery, training of health professionals, research activities. Set up under the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE), the centres will have 200 beds for patients.
To give a boost to geriatric care in the country, for the first time, the union health ministry has decided to set up two dedicated National Centres on Ageing. The centres will come up at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi and the Madras Medical College in Chennai.
Among other facilities, the centres would be used for healthcare delivery, training of health professionals, research activities. Set up under the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE), the centres will have 200 beds for patients.
The main aim of geriatric care, or healthcare for older people, is to prevent and treat diseases and disabilities in aged people. Geriatrics has become a sought-after medical field with a rise in life expectancies and increasing incomes.
Dr Jayesh Lele, president of the Indian Medical Association in Maharashtra, said, "This is very good initiative. The life span of an Indian is now between 60-64 years. But better treatment of old age-related diseases can extend the life expectancy to up to 70 years. Some of the private clinics in Mumbai are also taking a keen interest in setting up geriatric units. The main problems that come under geriatric care include dementia, arthritis, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, parkinson's disease, atherosclerosis, heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol."
The World Health Organisation (WHO) strongly advocates awareness for training all future doctors in the care of older persons. It also promotes adoption of a life-course approach in education and training of doctors. It also developed a study, Teaching Geriatrics in Medical Education, which described how geriatric issues are covered in medical schools worldwide and assessed the attitude of medical students towards older persons in four continents.
According to senior doctors from Sir JJ hospital, no dedicated research has been done in our country on this specialty. "Abroad, they do a lot of research on healthcare for elderly people. Any physician can treat such diseases, but patients do better if they are treated by specialised doctors. With the decision of the Central government to open separate centres for the purpose, this field of study can get a boost," said a doctor.
There is no set age at which patients can come under the care of a geriatrician or physician who specialises in the care of elderly people. Geriatrics, care for aged people, differs from gerontology, which is the study of the ageing process. Geriatricians aim to treat any diseases that are present and to decrease the effects of ageing on the body.
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