Availability and Readiness of Geriatric Care in Bangladesh

Mohammed Ahsanul Alam, Government of Bangladesh
M Sheikh Giash Uddin, Jagannath University

The study aim was to assess the service provision and readiness of the health facilities to provide geriatric care in Bangladesh. The study was a cross-sectional survey across the public facilities. The study used a three-stage stratified sample to select respondents. In this study, 526 healthcare providers and 2126 exit clients were interviewed. The study indicates that elderly population of Bangladesh faced various health challenges. Ninety percent of respondents suffered from chronic diseases, need for specialized healthcare. Their health concerns differ by age, gender, and residence. Almost 80% of district hospitals have service for elderly, very few health care is available at upazila level facilities for old age diseases. From clients’ perspective, overall, service availability is lower for neurological problems, followed by liver diseases, kidney and urinary tract infections. While 84 percent of health facilities had no dedicated doctors, 93 percent have no dedicated bed for the elderly. Service providers of Medical College Hospitals have received more training on geriatric health than their counterparts. The challenges of dearth of doctors and specialists with expertise in geriatric care are most pronounced in District Hospitals. To improve geriatric care, need to increase geriatric specialists, infrastructure upgrades in the facilities focusing on non-communicable diseases.

Keywords: Older Adults and Intergenerational Relations, Health and Morbidity

See paper.