Panaji, April 26
Holiday destination Goa, that
is increasingly drawing retirees, is just "one or two" generations away
from being a haven for geriatrics, top medical professionals warn.
Dropping
fertility rates and the mortality odometer swinging opposite, its young
workforce migrating away from its shores and the increasing trend of
the state being a top destination for the country's retired and elderly
appear to be only contributing to Goa's aging population.
The
state would, in all likelihood, have to cater to a big volume of
geriatric-related health issues just "one or two" generations down-line,
according to leading oncologist Shekhar Salkar.
"In 1947, the
average life-span was 47 for females and 57 for males in Goa. Today, we
have crossed 70 for males and I am quite sure with another one or two
generations, we will reach 75. One of the main health issues then will
be geriatric care," Salkar told IANS.
"Goa is such a peaceful
state that elderly people from all over India want to come to Goa and
settle. That is why we have all this hype for real estate in Goa. That
is because those people find comfort here and the temperature is
reasonably good," he said, adding that the steady influx would only add
to the number of the aged in the state.
Goa's aging population
has been a concern expressed in the assembly, especially by Manohar
Parrikar, who was the state's chief minister before he was elevated as
India's defence minister last year.
The fertility rate in the
state - the average number of children per woman in the 15-35 year age
bracket - has shrunk from 2.1 to 1.7, according to official data. A
fertility rate of 2.1 indicates a stable population, while anything
below that suggests shrinking population growth.
Parrikar, in
2013, credited a successful birth control programme for the arrest in
Goa's population growth with the caveat that in 15 years, the state's
population "will be an aging one instead of youthful".
Parrikar's
fears already find reflection in the 2011 census data, which ranks Goa
second after Kerala as far as the proportion of the old dependent
population above the age of 60 years is concerned, at 11.2 per cent.
Incidentally, Goa also has the lowest proportional population within the
0-9 age-group.
With population trends suggesting Goa's rapid
march towards an era of geriatry, facilities like the Manipal Hospital,
India's third biggest chain of healthcare units in the country, is
already gearing up for the demand by promoting home care services in
Goa, the first of its kind in the state.
"In Goa, within a
generation or two we will have geriatric-oriented problems. So we have
prepared for that to ensure that the elderly population can be well
looked after. Our home care section will be our main thrust," chief
operating officer Gopal Devanhalli of Manipal Health Enterprises told
IANS after launching the service earlier this week.
The service
would involve home visits by technicians and nurses who will be linked
through technology to medical professionals who will examine the patient
by remote.
"This will ensure that you do not have to bring the
patient to the hospital for every small blood pressure test or blood
test," Devanhalli said.
(Mayabhushan Nagvenkar can be contacted at [email protected])
