The Federal Ministry of Health on Thursday reiterated its supports for older persons in the country, pledging to leave no one behind toward living good lives.
The Minister of State for Health, Senator Olurunnimbe Mamora, made the ministry’s position known at the second National Conference on Ageing, organised by the Coalition of Societies for the Rights of Older Persons in Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the theme of the conference is: “Journey To Age Equality: The Society and the Older Persons in Nigeria.”
Mamora, who said every Nigerian deserved to grow old with dignity, added: “Growing older does not diminish a person’s inherent dignity and fundamental rights.”
He reiterated government’s commitment to address the needs of older persons in taking care of their health and developmental issues related to them in the country.
He disclosed that government would establish six regional geriatric centres at tertiary hospitals with a view to improving the health status of the senior citizens.
Mamora said the purpose of the geriatric centres was for Federal Government to address the health and social needs of older persons in the country through the HEPIQ-C project.
He explained that HEPIQ-C is a project under Federal Ministry of Health responsible for providing healthy ageing environment through establishment and implementation of comprehensive service for the elderly, including care, research and training at all levels of government.
He noted that President Muhammadu Buhari saw the need to identify the social and health problems of the elderly in the nation so as to facilitate actions that would promote their healthy living.
He said the ageing population was ever increasing, hence the need to develop framework and infrastructure to manage their needs.
Consequently, he explained, that the Federal Government set in motion more action strategy after regional World Health Organisation meeting in Addis Ababa in 2016 to improve the health status of older citizens.
The Minister said government came up with the HEPIQ-C project to tackle issues affecting vulnerable aged group in different perspective, which include increased budgetary allocation and involvement of development partners with a view to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Senator Eze Ajoku, the President COSROPIN, said the conference was to sensitise government at all levels and the organised private sector about the plight of senior citizens so as to enable them to formulate policies for the wellbeing of this category of persons.
Ajoku expressed optimism that at the end of the conference, multi-stakeholder interventions toward developing national blueprint for sustainable social investments and actions for older persons would be put in place.
The president of COSROPIN said older people had contributed immensely toward the growth of the country and therefore should be compensated.
He appealed to the 9th National Assembly to expedite action toward passing the bill for an act to provide certain rights and privileges for older persons to live healthy lives.
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