The Health Hazards and the Economic Woes of the Aged

The longevity of life that the present generation enjoys is due to improvement in economic condition that favours better education, better sanitation, adequate drinking water and healthy products as well as expansion of healthcare services and their impact in medical treatment. Many diseases that reduce life expectancy are either controlled or eliminated. All these reduce the death rate. However, there are occurrences of several diseases that affect only the aged people. They have to visit hospitals frequently for consultation and counselling and mostly they are admitted in hospitals for medical treatment. They are affected by problems such as loneliness, emotional problems, and financial problems. As the public healthcare system falls short of their requirements, they are forced to approach private hospitals. It makes the matter worse. They are unable to meet not only their day-to-day expenditure, but also their healthcare expenditure. All these make their life miserable and poverty stricken and make them to feel that their lives are not worthy of living. With this backdrop, the author tries to bring to limelight, the healthcare problems of the aged in Kanniyakumari district.