IIT Madras Research calls for Greater Government Investment in healthcare to protect elderly during Covid-19 Pandemic

An analysis, based on the 75th round of National Sample Survey 2017–18, found that only 18.9% of the elderly had health insurance, with a vast majority being unable to bear large expenditure on health

An Indian Institute of Technology Madras Research has called for greater Government investment in public healthcare to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on the elderly. The current pandemic poses a greater risk of social isolation among the elderly, which may lead to greater adverse health impact. The poor among the elderly would suffer more than others. As a result, their access to regular primary healthcare services, and continuity of care that is essential for those suffering from non-communicable diseases, given their dependency and lack of mobility, may have worsened further during this pandemic. Overall, given the evidence on the possible hardships that the elderly may have already gone through during the pandemic and hardships that they may face in the future, the importance of strengthening the public health care system cannot be over-emphasized, researchers opine.