By DOROTHY KWEYU Special Correspondent
In Summary
- Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda have adopted national policies on ageing since 2002, when the AU’s Policy Framework and Plan of Action on Ageing was put in place.
- Of these, only Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania “have evidence allocating budgets” for older people’s programmes.
A new UN report places East and Southern African countries high up among African nations that have adopted policies on ageing.
According to the report, Ageing in the Twenty-First Century: A Celebration and A Challenge,
seven African countries — Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa,
Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda — have adopted national policies on ageing
since 2002, when the AU’s Policy Framework and Plan of Action on Ageing
was put in place.
Of these, only Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania “have evidence allocating budgets” for older people’s programmes.
In another cluster of eight African countries that
have established specialised bodies or included ageing issues within a
ministry, namely Cameroon, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, South
Africa, Tunisia and Uganda, the East and Southern African countries are,
again, the majority.
In Kenya, Mozambique and South Africa, older
people’s healthcare has been mainstreamed into the general health
policy, through the National Reproductive Health Strategy and the
National Health Sector Strategic Plan of Kenya.
Mozambique’s National Health Policy and South
Africa’s National Health Charter and the National Health Act include
older people as a vulnerable group that may, “subject to resources,” be
eligible for free health care.
South Africa made additional provisions through
the Older Persons Policy of 2006, which contains measures to make
cataract surgery affordable for all older persons, and offers free
transport for older people to state health facilities.
In Mozambique, older people are included in the
National Strategic Plan for HIV/Aids, while HIV and Aids are addressed
in South Africa’s Older Persons Policy. The Kenya Aids Strategic Plan
also refers to older people, although this category is limited to people
aged 50 to 64.
All this sounds good — on paper. In reality,
elderly people face challenges of income security and access to health
and housing, as it emerged from discussions at a recent workshop
organised by HelpAge
International, an organisation that advocates the rights of older people. Senior citizens also bear the brunt of the HIV and Aids pandemic.
International, an organisation that advocates the rights of older people. Senior citizens also bear the brunt of the HIV and Aids pandemic.
According to Dr Douglas Lackey, HelpAge’s regional
advocacy and communications manager, older people are not only sexually
active, but also carry the burden of caring for children orphaned by
Aids. “Older people can be infected by the virus; they are sexually
active, and need to know about safe sexual behaviours,” he said.
His organisation has programmes that address the information needs of older people with regards to HIV/Aids.
Dr Lackey’s sentiments are echoed in the ageing
report, which says: “While family ties remain strong, traditional
support systems have changed. Migration of younger adults and the impact
of HIV and Aids have led to a rise in the number of
‘skipped-generation’ households consisting of older people and children.
Much of the responsibility for caring for family members living with
HIV and for orphaned children falls on older women, most of whom receive
little or no formal support.”
HIV and Aids became an older people’s issue in the
earlier part of this century when many infected people died. At that
time, Kenya began to put strategies in place for the care of orphans and
vulnerable children.
The country is now credited with a successful cash
transfer programme for orphans and vulnerable children, which puts
money in the hands of the elderly grandparents looking after them.
Thanks to Kenya’s pioneering programme helping
2,000 households in 44 districts, children’s attendance in school has
increased. The cash transfer programme is now being piloted in Lesotho
and Zambia
Another key concern for senior citizens is poverty. The UN
report notes that ageing in Africa is occurring against a background of
immense economic and social hardship, and describes the situation of
older people as “precarious.” Most older people in Africa live in rural
areas where there is little access to services and markets.
Poverty is blamed for some of the attacks on older
people, including the lynchings of “witches have been reported in parts
of Kenya, Mozambique and Uganda.
Charles Champion of Mozambique says witchcraft
claims are rooted in poverty. Rarely are rich older people labelled
witches. On the other hand, calling poor older persons witches provides
the excuse to lynch them in a war for resources.
Among countries that have made efforts to mitigate
the impact of poverty on older people is Tanzania, which, according to
the UN report, specifically includes older people in its 2005 National
Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty, known as the Mkukuta.
On its part, Zambia last month approved a policy
on ageing. However, this did not come easy. As Rosemary Sishimba, the
executive director of the Senior Citizens Association of Zambia, notes,
it took years and was only possible after stakeholders visited their
vice-president.
Ms Sishimba is not celebrating yet, because “we still have a hurdle; we want it enacted into law.”
She notes that although the country has a health
policy for older people, senior citizens are covered for only
consultation fees, and patients must pay for drugs. “I’d rather pay
consultation fees of 40 kwacha ($0.008) instead of 900 kwacha ($0.17)
for drugs.”
Lack of data was also identified as a major
hindrance to delivery of services to older people. According to Sam
Obara, who manages HelpAge’s HIV/ Aids programmes in five African
countries, a demographic shift has occurred on the continent, with more
people living longer. In spite of this reality, there is inadequate data
to help countries to plan services for older people.
Given that most of the region’s leaders are 60
years and above — the age at which senior citizenship in the developing
countries is pegged — heads of state seem to be in denial when it comes
to championing their lot’s agenda.
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