Premier pledges improved state care for elderly

SUNDAY NEWS Reporter in Dodoma

The Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, bids farewell to Elders Network leaders after he held talks with them at his office in Dodoma on Friday. He is flanked (on his left) by the Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elders and Children, Dr Hamis Kigwangalla. (Photo by PMO)

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THE Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, has pledged the government’s commitment to ensure that the legal rights of elderly people in the country are adhered to.

Mr Majaliwa made the statement here over the weekend when he was speaking to elderly people who paid a courtesy call on him at his office here yesterday.

He said that the government had started implementing some of their legal rights, including free medical care, noting that various hospitals he visited recently have initiated special units to care for the elderly.

Mr Majaliwa, who expressed his delight over the move, asked the elderly people to widen their networking to ensure that they all stand to benefit. He said the network should ensure they acquire leaders starting from the village level to ensure smooth collaboration between the government and the elderly network association.

Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly persons and children, Dr Hamis Kingwangala, said that the government has already confirmed the proposals for the enactment of a law seeking to protect the elderly persons in the country.

Dr Kingwangala said that the proposals would be presented in the National Assembly in September. He said the enactment of the law (elderly law) would help see the rights of the elderly persons in the country being attended to, including retirement benefits.

“We in the ministry had formed a task force consisting elderly persons with the aim of structuring and deciding on two important issues that would be tackled … one of them is to ensure better pensions to the elderly people,” he noted, noting that free medical care was also another matter for legal consideration.

On the other hand, the Chairman of Elderly Network, Mr Sebastian Bulegi, told the premier that the elderly are optimistic that the government will oversee rights to free medical care, education on HIV/AIDS awareness, among other legal rights.

Mr Bulegi said their visit was aimed to present their appreciation to President Magufuli for forming a special ministry to oversee the rights of the elderly people in the country