Report reveals, number of elderly people in the country tripled in 20 years, hospital expenses increased 400 times

Elderly population: According to a study, the number of elderly people in India will triple in the next 20 years. Then the number of elderly patients suffering from two or more diseases will also be very high. Doctors have warned that if health expenditure on elderly patients is not increased from now on, the burden on government hospitals will increase.

Doctors have prepared this report based on the analysis of the expenditure on medicines of one thousand elderly patients admitted in Loknayak Hospital. Rs 10.87 lakh has been spent on his medicines. He was given 8,366 medicines of 127 formulations.

In which the maximum expenditure of 91% was on medicines given through parenteral methods like injection or infusion apart from the digestive system. Importantly, the expenditure on medicines was highest among elderly patients who had to be admitted due to more than one disease. Most of the services like nursing, doctor consultation and investigation are free in government hospitals. The United Nations Population Division has estimated the elderly population in India to exceed 30 crore by 2050, from around 10 crore at present. According to the study, the expenditure in big government hospitals at the national level can run into crores. Which can increase by about 400 times in 20 years.

need for drug policy

Doctors say that along with monitoring the price of medicines for the elderly population, there is a need to formulate a drug policy at the national level and this should be taken up as a priority.

45% of cost in five years

It is estimated that by 2030, 45% of the health care burden in India will be spent on elderly patients. Families with elderly members spend 3.8 times more on health than families without elderly members. Such families are spending 13 percent of their income on health.

3 out of 4 senior citizens have one to six diseases

Of the four elderly patients admitted to Loknayak, 3 had several serious diseases. One to six diseases were found in 74.7% of admitted patients. In which heart disease is common. One out of four patients was found to be suffering from this. After which lung related diseases became common.

Studies have shown that four to five out of 10 elderly people who arrive at the hospital are admitted.

This situation may further increase in future, for which both communicable and non-communicable diseases are responsible.