Why South Sudan should create supportive healthcare system for the elderly persons

By Agar Mayor Gai-Makoon

Ageing is apparently becoming the new focus of the global health initiatives. Owing to this new reality, South Sudan must move with the world and prioritize the health of its elderly population. Old people in South Sudan are among the most health deprived groups in the world. Accordingly, the void created by the neglect of old people is taking a huge toll on South Sudan current affairs.

While listening to the speech of Vice President for Gender and Youth Custer Hon. Rebeca Nyandeng at the funeral ceremony for the beloved wife of Information Minister Hon. Michael Makuei, I was astonished by the age-based population figures she stated. 73 percent for the youth, and 27 percent for the rest is not only a show of bizarre disparity among age groups, but also a call to protect our old people, and save the nation.

Since 2013, the rate at which old people are dying has been increasing. We can attribute this to many factors, including the conflict that has displaced people from their places and caused wide spread poverty and hunger. Old people are unable to meet their full nutritional requirements, making them susceptible to infections and immune deficiency conditions. Other factors for instance, healthcare system failure, have highly contributed to the daily loss of elderly people. We have a healthcare system that is less funded, less supported and consequently, less focused on the geriatric health services. Basically, if South Sudan has to have an elderly population just as our traditions demand and cherish, we must create supportive environments that can make them live longer and better. Longer in age, and better in both physical and mental state.

South Sudan has the capacity both in competence and substance to achieve that goal. And mind you, geriatrics health services are an urgent responsibility, not something that can wait. Our country should have a healthcare system that prepares its people to be functional and productive in old age. And these times of conflict and division surely fit the role of an elderly population because “Old age is not lost youth, but a new stage of opportunity and strength,” said Late American journalist and activist, Betty Friedan. We have got to utilize the wisdom, experience and guidance from our old population for the greater benefit of this country. Nevertheless, the role to protect them and live longer and better becomes more needed in this critical time.

The WHO Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health 2016-2020, and the UN document: Decade of Healthy Ageing 2020-2030, underscore both the importance of ageing and the role that every individual country can play to ensure a healthy living for its population. South Sudan should therefore, fully commit to these plans that seek to ensure a healthy older population.

The issues of old age range from most dangerous emergencies like stroke and cardiovascular diseases, to debilitating and chronic ones like diabetes, hypertension and obesity. The bad news for the older population of South Sudan is that none, or not many of specialized centers for care of stroke, diabetic, obesity patients exist. And often times, they are left to suffer even when they should actually not. Most of these diseases can be controlled and patients can live their life well with them. So, it is important for the ministry of health to ensure that every primary health care center, or hospital has specialized centers for the care of old people. A score of older population in the villages of South Sudan suffers a greater deal, and it has come a time to rise to this challenge and save the people.

Lives of old people in the countryside must be protected. Besides, there is a dire need to encourage and support a few neurologists, cardiologists and family physicians we have in the country to establish and provide specialized care protocols for old people. Such protocols can be used by general practitioners, nurses and other healthcare personnel to provide urgent care to emergency cases. Mental well-being of the elderly should be highly promoted through establishment of psychosocial centers to provide appropriate psychosocial services. In addition, lifestyle change practices like physical therapy, appropriate diet and exercises should highly be encouraged in the old people.

Above all, all these measures must have a strong support system. The Ministry of Health should take a lead role in the promotive, preventative, curative and control aspects of health for the older population. Now is the time.

The writer has a background in sociopolitical philosophy. He currently studies medicine at Ain Shams university, Cairo, Egypt. He can be reached on +201129107334, or thieng.thiengwada@gmail.com.