The agonizing sufferings of the financially marginalized elderly people most of the time are sidelined beyond focus. Their extreme struggle against their fate in their sagging age beats many epic adventures of classical antiquities. Left by his three sons, Mazid Mia aged 69 of Lalmonirhat pulls rickshaw in Dhaka city to fend for himself and his wife. Hazera Khatun is another helpless widow of 70 who was seen begging at the Panthopath area to collect money to purchase some immediate medicines for her chronic asthma. Talking to her, she sobbed out her tragic fate as to how deadly cancer snatched away her husband’s life only at 45.
And this is not all about extremely frail-looking Hazera. Her days were getting somehow well with her two earning sons but when a killer truck skidded off and ran over her two sons in their way back home, the world of Hazera blacked out at once forever. In Dhaka city and in all other cities and towns across the country, a common picture that we notice at once on the streets is the cramming of elderly rickshaw-pullers as well as elderly women beggars who drag their struggle for survival from morning till night with total uncertainty and insecurity. At present, there are more than one crore absolutely helpless elderly people across the country many of who have to wage the toughest struggle to live just for tomorrow.
According to a survey, an estimated 18 lakhs elderly laborers have to sell their labour for everyday survival. Though the government has extended a social security net to reach out to these downtrodden elderly people, only 15% of this ultra-needy infirm people have come under the benefit coverage. In addition, the most outrageous fact goes that the bulk of the benefit packages even can hardly reach the target people for who they are meant.
To add salt to their soring wounds, these senior citizens are very often have to endure insulting treatment and bullying from the passengers they carry exposing themselves to the scorching sun and the pressing rain. Even if we take into consideration Bangladesh’s fund constraint into consideration, the alarming fact still remains that the allotted old people’s money can hardly sluiced into the proper channel. Instead, a lion’s share of the allotted fund flows into a syndicated corrupted channel made up of the government officials, political leaders and the local musclemen.
The government general hospitals, health complexes and the medical college hospitals aimed at treating the impoverished patients free virtually have turned a blind eye towards these aged fragile patients who most need the fulltime health care coverage. The efforts and contributions of each and every senior citizen especially belonging to the helpless downtrodden class just make them exclusively singular so far as the essential kinetic agents of our basic living means are concerned.
What can be a more gruesome irony for a nation when it awards and decorates the haves and deprive the have-nots over the years? Why the government hospitals have turned out to become the safe haven for the elite for hunting special or extra privilege available there? One compelling evidence will be enough to prove their abject deprivation. Although all public medical colleges are endowed with all possible and latest medical facilities and services, the non-recommended elderly patients from common backgrounds do have the least access to ICCU, life support or any other sophisticated test available in these hospitals.
Even if, a few fortunate ones can reap these facilities but these are just chance happenings and also behind these rare phenomena there are solid traces of recommendations from some influential figures. There are innumerable complaints regarding issuing VGF cards most serious ones are issuing cards taking money, partisan considerations and giving half the amount out of the allotted slot etc. Giving due space and honor to the impoverished elderly people is actually a collective responsibility that requires conclusively the involvement and integration of all eligible members of the entire society.
It is too difficult for any government alone to tackle such a gigantic task of nursing, caring and rehabilitating the elderly people particularly the marginalized ones by the extremely limited resources of the government. Above anything else, a common collective fund has to be created by the voluntary as well as mandatory donations of the well-off people under government direct initiative and supervision. Old age contingency taxation has to be mandatorily slapped on highly solvent people in commensurate with their income. For proper handling and management of the old age fund, a trustee board will have to be constituted involving and incorporating both the respected citizens and the senior government officials who must have the accountability directly to the nation.
Apart from collecting domestic fund, the trustee board will have to devise ways and means to explore outlets of overseas aid packages from donor countries. Besides, all government hospitals and health centers mandatorily ensure priority treatment for the elderly people who happen to be the most vulnerable. Most importantly, home care, nursing and polite treatment will have to be ensured by the capable and solvent sons and daughters of the elderly people.
Stern action has to be taken against those sons and daughters who will be found guilty of instigating and sending parents to the old homes. Likewise, sons and daughters who will be found reluctant to provide support to their old parents must be brought to book. Once any deviations of these suggested measures are dealt with zero tolerance, own homes made by these respected elderly people will surely be the safest place for them.
The writer, an Assistant Professor of English at Bogra Cantonment Public School & College, is a contributor to
The Independent.
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