Cuba expanding geriatric services
Iris de Armas Padrino
Cuba, the country with the largest elderly
population in Latin America, is implementing various
plans to create the conditions needed to achieve
active, productive and satisfying longevity,
according to Miguel Valdés Mier, head of the
National Group of Geriatrics and Gerontology.
Mier
emphasized that the state, and all of Cuban society,
in particular the public health system, must
actively tackle the problem. In order to do so, a
strategic plan has been designed which includes
restoration and remodeling of community centers,
elder care homes, psychiatric hospitals and similar
institutions, reflecting the Guidelines for Economic
and Social Policy, approved in 2011, he commented.
In
addition, Mier stated that the human resources
framework is being restructured, specifically
designed around elder care and the expansion of
geriatric services across different levels of
primary care, which will help improve the situation,
given that life expectancy in Cuba is 78 years.
Dr.
José Ramón Rodríguez, head of external services of
the national reference Center for Research on
Longevity, Aging and Health (CITED), stated that
Cuba is training more than 200 geriatricians to
improve delivery of these types of services which
are being made available throughout the country.
Rodríguez, also spoke of the plan to offer geriatric
services in all Cuban hospitals. The program of
regionalization and consolidation of health
services, Family Medicine clinics, as well as
polyclinics, offers coverage to this segment of the
population.
Cuba
has more than 2 million senior citizens, of which
1,500 are over 100 years old, as much a concern for
the health system as other sectors, he added. In 20
years, 30% of the population will be over 60 years
of age and soon the number of geriatrics will
surpass that of those entering the workforce, stated
Rodríguez.
Among other research projects, CITED is also
investigating morbidity, and the issue of falls -
one of the biggest problems for elderly people - and
other injuries, as well as collaborating with the
Cuban pharmaceutical industry, working with a group
of pharmacists to develop treatments for anemia and
other medicines.
With
more than 20% its population 60 years or older,
Villa Clara is the province with the highest number
of elderly in the country, followed by Havana with
19.9% and Sancti Spíritus with more than 19%.
Cuba
has a life expectancy similar to that of developed
countries, which is both a great achievement and
challenge for our health system, considering that,
when Cubans reach 60 years of age they have a life
expectancy of an additional 20 years, and another
seven or more once they reach 80, Rodríguez
emphasized. (AIN)
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