Aging & Social Change: Ninth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

A population ageing regime is becoming visible in Bangladesh in terms of its demographics and ageing related issues in different public policies. Dramatic fertility decline along with increasing life expectancy generated the emergence of population ageing in the 1990s. A recent estimation that has found 7.9% (13 million) older people in 2018, which is a grave concern for the country’s changing socio-cultural and population-poverty-underdevelopment context. Different physical and mental health related issues are identified as some of the major problems of this vulnerable population. The objective of this paper is to explore public health care related issues for older population in Bangladesh. Data from different government organizations, public policies, programmes, laws, and strategies will be screened in this regard. The ratification of ‘National Policy on Older Persons 2013’, ‘Parents’ Maintenance Act 2013’, older persons as ‘Senior Citizens’ in 2014 are some of the very visible initiatives. Older persons’ health and other related issues are clearly pronounced in these initiatives. Besides there are some major public policies where ageing health care related issues are addressed. Terms like ‘geriatric care’, ‘palliative care’ are seen for the first time in some of these public policies. Introducing education and research on aged health care issues in formal medical education and gerontological related studies in different related disciplines in higher education are emphasized. A review of these kinds of initiatives in different public sectors is considered here in the context of the socio-cultural and economic transformations of a traditional society in Bangladesh.