Times Of Swaziland: PLIGHT OF THE ELDERLY

PLIGHT OF THE ELDERLY
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The Editor on 20/07/2021 08:12:00


Sir,
Government deserves praise for making sure that despite the unrest the country
is encountering, the elderly received their grants. As small as it is, it would
have been a disaster if they were not going to be paid. The grant alone,
however, will not help the elderly if government continues to fail to provide
adequate healthcare and other social services. A majority of the elderly are
suffering and are in need of constant medication and drugs.
Failing
If government is failing to provide such in public healthcare facilities, how
are they expected to cope with their various ailments? I am pretty sure that
some of them contributed to the economy of this country and deserve to be
properly cared for. During their time they never ran down the economy and
hospitals always had drugs and the necessary tools to provide adequate
healthcare services. They, therefore, do not deserve to suffer for the wrong
decisions of their predecessors when they are already vulnerable. The untruths
being told by those in government that there is no drugs shortage in hospitals
will never solve the problem and the elderly will continue suffering. They
cannot afford to source the drugs from private pharmacies with the little grants
they are getting.
Risk
Even if they would risk using their little grant to get the drugs, how will they
get to the pharmacies as most pharmacies are in towns? Travelling for the
elderly is a challenge and it will take time for them to reach the waiting rooms
where they can get transport to towns. If they happen to reach the waiting
rooms, our transport system never caters for them and government is ignoring
that. The elderly also have a right to move from one place to another and
government must assist them to enjoy that right. Yes there is a lot of good that
government is doing for the elderly but it is not enough. They deserve better
than what is being done for them right now and we hope the new prime minister
will change that, as they really do deserve better.