IANS/New Delhi
The Supreme Court yesterday issued notice to the Centre and the state governments on a plea seeking establishment of at least one old age home in every district across the country with minimum palliative healthcare facilities.
The apex court social justice bench of justice Madan B Lokur and justice Uday Umesh Lalit issued notice on a PIL (public interest litigation) by advocate Sanjeeb Panigrahi which sought direction for a survey of all existing old age homes in India and the setting up of at least one old age home in each district.
Though Panigrahi made several pleas, the court restricted the scope of its notice to just one - on the setting up of at least one old age home ensuring minimum health care facility per district.
Panigrahi’s plea said: “With nuclear families springing up and the focus more on the individual than the family, care of the elderly is taking a beating. There is clear departure from the traditional concept of respect and care for the elderly.”
The PIL said health awareness had increased average life span. In the absence of proper care of the elderly, “the notion of disability and ageing are often synonymous and it has also led to stigma and a negative perception of ageing,” the PIL stated.
According to the 2011 census, the population of senior citizens in the country was 103mn, which is about 8.6% of the total population in the country, it added.
Referring to the report of the UN Population Fund, the PIL said: “The elderly will constitute 20% of the population by 2015.”
The PIL also quoted the 2011 survey of the Central Statistical Office, which said “the prevalence and incidence of diseases as well as hospitalisation rates are much higher in older people than the total population”.
