The government will soon come up with a National Action Plan on Integrated Care for Older People. Our country is classified as the oldest country in Africa in terms of the age of its population and by implementing the Integrated Care for Older People Action Plan, Mauritius could become a benchmark for other African countries.
This statement was made by the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, yesterday at Lady Sushil Ramgoolam Recreation Centre in Pointe aux Piments, at the launching of an international forum organised jointly by the Ministry of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity, Common Age, and Groupement Fédération Internationale des Associations de Personnes Agées (FIAPA). The forum is being held in the context of the International Day for Older Persons observed on 01 October.
The Vice-President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Marie Cyril Eddy Boissezon; the Minister of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity, Mrs Fazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo; the Chairperson of FIAPA, Dr (Mrs) Pascale Dinan; the Chairman of CommonAge, Mr Andrew Larpent; guests from the Commonwealth; as well as other personalities were present.
In his address, the Prime Minister highlighted that integrated healthcare services are organised to provide services that are oriented around the needs of older people rather than around the needs of the services themselves. He reiterated that the welfare of the elderly persons has always been very high on the agenda of Government. “Our social protection system ensures access to health care and income security for all. Many appropriate measures, which consider the vulnerability of older people, have been adopted. Mauritius spends around 4.5 percent of its GDP on social protection of older persons alone”, he said.
He enumerated several initiatives aimed at enhancing elderly people’s health and well-being. They include: construction of a fourth Recreational Centre which will be operational next year; organisation of sports, fitness, wellness and leisure activities in Elderly Day Care Centres and Recreational Centres to enable them to maintain their physical and mental capacities, and to slow or reverse any decline in these areas; extension of Domiciliary Visits by Medical Officers to those who are bedridden or severely disabled person above 60 years; and Anti-Influenza Vaccination Campaign to protect the elderly persons against influenza.
Prime Minister Jugnauth further underlined that other measures have been taken recently such as an increase in incontinence allowance paid as from July 2022 to bedridden inmates of charitable institutions, an increase in cash payment for wheelchair as well as hearing aids from Rs 5 000 to Rs 10 000, and for spectacles from Rs 2 000 to Rs 5 000, and increase in monthly basic retirement pension.
As regards the legal and administrative framework that protects elderly people from all forms of physical, emotional, and psychological violence, he stated that the Protection of Elderly Persons Act is one of the main legislations for protection and care of the elderly. The law provides for a fine of Rs 50 000 and imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years for any person convicted of violating the dignity of the elderly, whether physical or verbal, by any means, he added. Furthermore, he pointed out that the residential homes sector in Mauritius is regulated by the Residential Care Homes Act which ensures the wellbeing and welfare of inmates.
Acknowledging that healthy ageing is a big challenge, Mr Jugnauth said that it requires the involvement and commitment of all stakeholders to ensure that people grow older in good health and are able to fully participate in society. He underlined that the proportion of people aged 60 years and above is expected to increase from 18% at present to 25.6% in 2034, and 37% in 2050 adding that presently, there are 155 centenarians in Mauritius, 134 females and 21 males.
Statistics reveal that by 2050, the number of people aged 65 years and above will reach 22% of the total population and that the number of people older than 85 years is likely to triple in the next 30 to 40 years, he added.
This demographic transition, he said, will have an impact on almost all aspects of society. According to him, the prevalence of NCDs and the chronic conditions associated with these diseases, as well as disability, will scale up radically with the ageing population. He therefore stressed on the need for concerted action to foster healthy ageing and improve the lives of older people so that they can live longer and better lives, in dignity and in a healthy environment.
For her part, Minister Jeewa Daureeawoo underlined that the theme chosen for the Forum, “Setting up a healthy ageing task force for Mauritius”, aims to ensure that the elderly spend their time healthily. She added that the Forum has as objectives to identify the challenges related to ageing and exploring ways of uplifting the lives of the elderly.
While enumerating the various measures put in place by the Government to enhance the quality of lives of senior citizens, she recalled that the Elderly Protection Act has been strengthened and that a mobile app has been newly launched to protect the elderly persons.
