GUWAHATI, March 4 � As far as health of the elderly citizens are concerned, Assam lags 40 years behind the national average as the senior citizens suffer from a host of illnesses ranging from hypertension to cardiac problems.
A study on the topic �State of Elderly Health�, unveiled on Wednesday, points to a dismal picture regarding the health of the citizens above 60 years.
According to the study prepared by compiling and analysing data from records of over 12 years maintained by GNRC and various other publicly available sources, the primary cause of lack of treatment or inadequate attention to prevention was lack of awareness.
As per the study, stroke and other neurological conditions affected 12,392 senior citizens in Guwahati and 4,18,015 people in Assam. Altogether 38,653 elderly people in the capital city and 13,03,900 in Assam are estimated to suffer from hypertension and other cardiac conditions.
The study also says that 35,526 elderly people in Guwahati and 11,98,438 in Assam are estimated to suffer from musculoskeletal, arthritis and locomotion disorders.
�The situation is even more distressing if we take note of the fact that life expectancy in India as a whole has increased by five years in the period between 2001-2005 and 2011-2015, primarily due to better health care. In Assam this is not the reality and the society as a whole, health care service providers and all other stakeholders must accept responsibility for the same,� said Dr Nomal Chandra Borah, who unveiled the report.
The study points out that 14,779 elderly people in Guwahati and 4,98,550 in Assam are estimated to suffer from chronic kidney disease. On the other hand, the figures for diabetes stood at 9,891 and 3,33,645 respectively, while the figures for cancer stood at 8,536 and 2,87,625 respectively.
The study mentions that early intervention and proper lifestyle management can prevent most of the diseases and help the elderly lead a healthy life.
