Govt plans to help its senior citizens

Tuesday, 15 February 2011 22:06
By Daniel Msangya,
The Citizen Correspondent

Dodoma. The government is preparing the Social Protection Framework which would help special groups, including senior citizens, benefit from social funds, the Bunge was told here yesterday.

The deputy minister for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Lucy Nkya, told the House that the Tanzania Social Action Fund (Tasaf) and Help Age International have started the process. This would facilitate and make members of the public recognise the needs of old people, she said.

Members of the public would also be shown how to access small tokens through cash transfers to enable old people survive and sustain their lives, he said.

He explained that Help Age International has been operating a pilot project in Karagwe District, Kagera Region. On the other hand, Tasaf is conducting another pilot project in Bahi and Chamwino districts, Dodoma Region, as well as Bagamoyo District in Coast Region, he said.

According to him, the government provides a number of humanitarian services through the Social Welfare Department. These include financial assistance to the poor and old people for making them have an income.

She was answering a question from Prof Kulikoyela Kahigi, (Bukombe-Chadema). The latter had asked the government to explain what plans were set aside to support old people. He said most were so vulnerable and poor to afford their daily needs, including food, clothes and healthcare.

Reacting to another supplementary question from Mr George Simbachawene (Kibakwe – CCM), the deputy minister said special health services had been established in every hospital. He cited Dodoma regional government hospital which had a special desk for the aged.

He said apart from the desk, a special doctor had been reserved to attend the senior citizens.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security in collaboration with HelpAge International investigated the feasibility of achieving social protection for older people through the implimentation of a universal noncontributory pension.

COMMENTS
The feasibility report found that giving a minimum income to all Tanzanians over over the age of 60 was affordable and implementable by the Government, and would cost around 1% of GDP depending on the level of the transfer.

Furthermore, as well as following in the steps of Southern African countries by implementing an old age grant as the first stage in building social protection system, this would lift 1.5 million people out of poverty and have long term impacts on growth and human development.

For more information on the findings please visit www.pension-watch.net and access the full report here pension-watch.net/.../...
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COMMENTS
The government can not help our senior citizens if they keep financing legislators with billions of money annually.The government have a good money to care old people but our greedy legislators want to feed themselves first before anyone else. We are dead and burried running the country with such greed legislators. Look over how much we pay in salaries and allowances to settle the legislators' free drivers and their night allowance to ride with their bosses? Let the legislators drive their own cars and save money to help our seniors citizens with their medical bills.
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