Eleventh Five Year Plan

94 Eleventh Five Year PlanCensus, there are 76.6 million people over the age ofsixty, constituting about 7.4 % of the total population.Life expectancy has been increasing and the proportionof older persons in India will rise in the next fewdecades.3.1.147 The health services need to be responsive tothe special needs of older persons. Provision of specialtybased clinics in secondary and tertiary carefacilities would help. A counselling and medical carefacility to look after health needs of older persons andan emergency facility to reach those in acute need andtransport them to a hospital is needed. This willinclude acute care, long-term care, and communitybasedrehabilitation.3.1.148 To improve the access to promotive, preventive,curative, and emergency health care among olderpersons, a range of services will be provided under theprogramme for health care of older persons. First, ahome health service, which means home visits intendedto detect health problems, and as a psychologicalsupport by health personnel sensitized on suchissues. Second, a community-based health centre forthem for educational and preventive activity. Thiswill be integrated with the NRHM and an allocationmade specifically for geriatric care. The ASHAs underthe NRHM will be trained in geriatric care. Third, theoutpatient medical service that serves as the base forhome health service will be enhanced. Finally, animproved hospital-based support service focused ontheir health care needs will be established. SpecificBox 3.1.16Older Persons’ Health• Prevalence and incidence of diseases as well as hospitalizationrates are much higher in older people thanthe total population.• 8% of older Indians are confined to their home or bed(immobile)• Women are more frequently afflicted with immobility• Many older people take ill health in their stride as apart of ‘usual/normal ageing’.• Self perceived health status is an important indicatorof health service utilization and compliance to treatmentinterventions.provisions will also be made for widows and a fewcentres on geriatric health especially focused onelderly women.3.1.149 During the Eleventh Five Year Plan, thus,following actions will be taken:• Providing comprehensive health care to the olderpersons• Training health professionals in Geriatrics, includingsupportive care and rehabilitation• Developing scientific solutions to specifichealth problems by research in Geriatrics andGerontology• Developing two National Institutes for Research inAgeing and Health, one in the North and the otherin SouthVoluntary Fertility Regulation3.1.150 The percentage of married women using contraceptionhas increased. Yet the gender imbalance inthe family planning programme is evident by the factthat despite being the most invasive and tedious contraceptiveintervention, female sterilization remains themost common method of family planning. Men arenot being addressed as responsible partners and theuse of condoms or male sterilization remains very low.There are also inter-State differences in the magnitudeof unmet need for contraception (Figure 3.1.14).3.1.151 Even meeting half of the unmet need couldlead to an appreciable decline in the birth rate. ANMsand ASHAs will identify the couples with unmet needin their area, and address their concerns. During theEleventh Five Year Plan, all strategies adopted underRCH programme will be continued with a greaterfocus in areas of high unmet need.3.1.152 The Eleventh Five Year Plan goal is to achievea reduction of TFR to 2.1 by 2012. State specific goalshave also been suggested (Annexure 3.1.7). The Planwill ensure that all issues of demographic change,the population policies, and programmes to achievepopulation stabilization are addressed without violatingthe peoples’ rights of decision making andchoices. Most importantly this should be done withoutadversely affecting the sex ratio.