As Bhutan marked the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day yesterday, the Royal Society for Senior Citizens (RSSC) in collaboration with the health ministry organised a comprehensive health checkup for the elderly in Genekha, Thimphu.
The day, which was marked for the first time in the country, aims to draw attention to the problem of physical, emotional and financial abuse of the elderly.
More than a hundred elderly aged 60 and above showed up at the checkup. “I am very thankful to the medical team,” Pema, one of them, said.
“If we go to the national referral hospital, we have to get a token first and then wait for a long time. Our body is too old to go to hospital now.”
“Our village is isolated and so even if we want to go to the hospital, there is no vehicle, and for some, there is no one to look after their children and cattle. Today, we have been blessed with such a service,” Karma Tshering, another elderly man, said.
Currently, there are more than 50,000 people who are above the age of 60 in the country.
The RSSC says some of the biggest fears and worries among the elderly today are becoming seriously ill without having anyone to look after them.
“Through the annual checkup, we can identify problems like isolation or having no one to take care of them,” Dr. Sangay Thinley, a retired health secretary, said.
“The second objective is actually to care for the elderly who have been abandoned.”
Similar initiatives will be taken annually in 16 other places covering different parts of the country.
