Currently, healthcare service for elderly people is very restricted. A few infirmaries and old’s homes provide medical service for special citizens. Alarmingly, there is a serious shortage of medical workers for taking care of senior citizens. National Geriatric Hospital Vice director Dr. Nguyen Trung Anh said that ageing population pose a practical challenge on the provision of healthcare to older people. Plus, escalation of chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes cancer, asthma, Osteoarthritis require lifetime treatment. Spending on health care services for the elderly has been increasing. A medical worker said expenditure on healthcare for those aged 65 years and older was seven to ten times higher than younger people. Moreover, elderly people use more drugs than young ones. Notwithstanding, the restriction of healthcare service provision for elderly people is public concern. Only the National Geriatric Hospital and hospitals’ geriatric wards provide lifetime rehabilitation treatment to senior citizens while just some of old’s homes have rehabilitation treatment. According to a study of the National Geriatric Hospital in 2016, of over 610 old people over 80 in Soc Son District in Hanoi, one suffers 6.9 illnesses. 33.6 percent of them are widows or widowers while 8.2 percent must live alone. Their average income is VND 537,900 a month mainly from social welfare and pension whereas medical cost is not cheap. Of 610 old people, just 62.79 percent have health insurance cards while 27.97 percent need assistance in personal hygiene, putting on, walking, and eating. Up… [Read full story]
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