Old is gold: Senior citizens a privileged lot, for a change

SVS Shastri, 61, a resident of HSR Layout and one of the senior citizens to get the NH Senior Citizen Privilege Card on Thursday, expressed contentment and happiness.

Shastri, a retired British government servant has been living in city with his wife after his retirement.

It’s been over two months now, Shastri has been diagnosed with diabetes and coronary heart block. He says: “We cannot rely so much on others for help every time. I am likely to undergo heart surgery very soon at Narayana Hrudayalaya (NH), so this privilege card will be very helpful for me.
Once one contracts diabetes, he/she is likely to get a lot of other associated health problems.
Hence this kind of facility which provides discounts on treatment for senior citizens is extremely beneficial for retired people like us who have a lot of financial constraints.”

After years of planning, Narayana Health City on Thursday launched the NH Senior Citizen Privilege Card in association with Dignity Foundation.

Launching the initiative, Dr Devi Shetty, chairman, Narayana Health, said: “For many years now, this facility is operating in Kolkata and it is doing pretty well. Economic, social and demographic changes today are affecting the elderly people. They require regular check-ups and proper monitoring of health and diet. Anticipating the problem and treating them timely will reduce the hospital stay among the elderly section of people.”

Sandhya, spokesperson, Dignity Foundation, said, “This association with Narayana Health is a step towards providing quality healthcare to senior citizens of Bangalore. It is our ongoing endeavour to reach out to the ageing population and help them to be better prepared for dealing with their medical needs.”

The privilege card will enable senior citizens to avail discounts on treatment, get regular counseling and health check-ups done at Narayana Health City.

The launch of this card will benefit around 3,000 to 4,000 senior citizens in Bangalore this year.
Following the launch, a two-day interactive patient education programme by eminent doctors of Narayana Health was organised. Programme titled ‘Frontiers in Medicine’ included awareness session on various diseases related to physical, mental and internal medicine for aged people. The session witnessed over 300 senior citizens from various forums.