The government must do more to defend the rights of older people

General news for Friday, October 2, 2020

Source: GNA

2020-10-02

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has highlighted the need for the Government to do more to defend the rights of older persons enshrined in the National Policy on Aging (PNA), the 1992 Constitution and other international instruments.

The Commission said that while Ghana had made progress over the years in promoting older people’s rights and recognizing the important role they played, more needed to be done to draw attention to their difficulties and well-being.

Joseph Whittal, the Commissioner, said this in a statement issued in Accra to mark the 2020 global celebration of the International Day of Older Persons.

The Day, which marks the 30th anniversary celebrations, deals with the subject; “Pandemics: Are They Changing the Way We Approach Aging and Aging?” And it aims to promote the human rights of all people in Ghana, especially the elderly.

The topic also highlighted the role of the health workforce for the well-being of the elderly, with special recognition to the nursing profession.

“This is consistent with goal 3 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which seeks to ‘ensure a healthy life and promote well-being for all ages’; in particular goal 3.8, achieve universal health coverage ”.

“This includes protection against financial risk, access to quality essential health services, and access to safe, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all,” the statement said.

He said that the composition of the world’s population had changed dramatically over the years. Between 1950 and 2010, life expectancy increased from 46 to 68 worldwide.

In 2019, there were 703 million people aged 65 and over worldwide.

According to the Madrid International Plan of Action (MIPA), the number of older people globally is expected to reach two billion between 2019 and 2050.

Ghana is a signatory to several international instruments and conventions that seek to protect the rights of older persons, such as the 2002 African Union Policy Framework and Action Plan on Aging; the 2002 Second World Assembly on Aging and the MIPA on Aging and the 1982 United Nations Plan of Action on Aging, he said.

Most importantly, it stated that Ghana’s supreme law, the Constitution, obligated the State to enact adequate legislation to ensure the protection and promotion of all other human rights and basic freedoms, including the elderly; and improve social assistance to the elderly, so that they can maintain a decent standard of living.

The statement said that 10 years after the NAP, the state still had to ensure that the health care needs of the elderly were comprehensively addressed by the National Insurance Plan (NHIS). “For example, physical therapy management of Parkinson’s disease and dementia, which are more common among older people over 60 years of age and most drugs for such conditions are not included in the NHIS drug policy “.

“By commemorating this day, CHRAJ wishes to raise awareness of the special health needs of older people and the contributions to their health and to the functioning of the societies in which they live,” he said.

He also called for the need to raise awareness and show appreciation for the role of healthcare personnel in maintaining and improving the health of older people, with particular attention to the nursing profession.

The statement said it would also increase understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on older people, calling for deliberate health care policies and service delivery interventions to minimize the effects of the pandemic on older people and into the future.

The Commission also requested the Government to accelerate the processes to complete the ongoing consultations with stakeholders on the draft national law on aging presented to Parliament. The United Nations (UN) on December 14, 1990, designated October 1 as the International Day of the Elderly according to UN Resolution 46/9.

In 2002, the UN General Assembly adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Aging to respond to the opportunities and challenges of an aging population in the 21st century.

One of the central themes of MIPA is to guarantee the full enjoyment of basic human rights for all people and the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the elderly.