New Delhi, 2 April 2012: Approximately 142 million people or 8% of the population of WHO’s
South-East Asia Region are above the age of 60 years. The number of aged people will double
by 2025 and triple by 2050 compared to 2000. The average life expectancy in most countries in
the Region will be above 75 year by 2050. On World Health Day, 7 April 2012, WHO will draw
global attention to ageing and health to highlight ageing as a rapidly emerging priority that most
countries in the Region have yet to address adequately.
National policies to promote healthy ageing exist in Bangladesh, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia,
Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. There is an urgent need to focus attention
on issues such as economic effects of ageing on health care system; ways of ensuring
independence in old age, quality of life; striking a balance between the role of family and the
State in providing care to older people who need assistance; humanitarian crises and older
population, and health problems of elderly females and very old persons.
“Older women outnumber and outlive older men. Gender discrimination and widowhood has a
considerable impact on health of elderly women” said Dr. Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO’s
Regional Director for South-East Asia. ”Poor nutrition in the womb leads to disease in
adulthood. Preventing diseases through immunization, good nutrition, and healthy lifestyles will
result in an elderly population that is a rich resource for families, communities and nations” he
added.
Smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet, sedentary lifestyles and exposure to toxic substances
at work also influence health outcomes in old age. With nuclear families replacing joint families
and large rural-to-urban migrations, the old and the infirm are often left at home. These
changing patterns of society are now affecting the care of the old and very old persons at home.
Healthy ageing requires a significant paradigm shift in providing care to the elderly. Age-friendly
primary health care minimizes the consequences of noncommunicable or chronic diseases by
early detection, prevention, quality of care and by providing long-term palliative care for those
with advanced disease. Such interventions need to be supplemented by affordable long-term
care for those who can no longer retain their independence.
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Several countries in the Region have introduced age-friendly policies and plans of action. For
instance, Indonesia’s law to help the elderly population access basic social and health care
services. In Sri Lanka, the National Council for Elders and the National Secretariat for the
Elders, which operate under the Ministry of Social Services, are dedicated to serve the elderly.
As part of this initiative, the Elders’ Maintenance Board can initiate action against children or
relatives in case of neglect of the elderly. The national authorities are also taking steps to
regulate and register ‘old-age homes’ in Sri Lanka. India enacted the Maintenance and Welfare
of Parents and Senior Citizens Act in 2007 to provide legal strength to old age care and ensure
that family members take care of their older relatives. Thailand has also adopted a holistic
approach to provide social, health and economic security to its senior citizens. This approach
has contributed to Thailand’s success in providing long term care to seniors through family,
community and institutional-based interventions.
Building an age-friendly society needs actions from sectors other than health such as education,
employment, labour, finance, social security, transportation, justice, housing and rural-urban
development. On World Health Day, WHO is urging policy-makers and partners to pay urgent
attention to ageing and health.
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WHO South-East Asia Region comprises of following eleven countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, DPR
Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor Leste
For more information please contact:
Ms Vismita Gupta-Smith, Public Information and Advocacy Officer, WHO South-East Asia Regional Office
(SEARO), New Delhi, Tel: 91-11-23309401, mobile + 91 9871329861,
e-mail: guptasmithv@searo.who.int