Government Hosts The Aged

Government on Friday hosted more than a 100 elderly persons in the Keta Municipality at Keta, promising to pursue policies to improve the well-being of the elderly.

The policies, some of which are operational and others in the pipeline include free rides on public transport systems, priority access to health and banking services, and subsidized water and electricity tariffs.

Nana Oye Lithur, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection announced this at the party.

She presented the Senior Citizens with gifts of pieces of cloth, food and soft drinks.

The Keta event was the second after the one held in Accra, and would be held in nine other areas chosen for such donations, under a pilot project of assisting and caring for the aged in the country.

The Minister said with the collapse of the traditional family care system, which hitherto protected its elderly, leaving them vulnerable, Government was ready to build a resolute safety net for their welfare.

She said her Ministry and others were drafting a bill for parliament towards establishing the National Council on Ageing for the implementation of the National Ageing Policy, to address the dimensional issues on ageing.

“We are also working towards piloting an aged project of free services in transportation, health, electricity and water subsidies along the coastal belt”, she said.

The Minister said training of Geriatric Healthcare professionals would soon start and relevant facilities put in place to mainstream Geriatric care in the health care delivery system.

Nana Oye Lithur said an “Ageing Desk’, which will be established at the Ministry, would also be replicated in the local Assemblies for the concerns of the elderly.

She said the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the Livelihood Against Poverty (LEAP) were geared towards enhancing the lot of the aged.

Source: GNA