Senior citizens-friendly service delivery is present need: Minister Shrestha

Kathmandu, Dec 26: Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens, Shraddha Shrestha, has said that senior citizen-friendly service standards and dignified service delivery are the present day need. 

At the programme organised here today by the ministry to mark the Fifth National Senior Citizens Day, she said, "It is essential at present to provide services that are respectful, meet senior citizen-friendly standards, and ensure dignified service without neglect, on the basis of respect and dignity for senior citizens."

Minister Shrestha emphasized that for that purpose, intergenerational dialogue, collaboration and experience are necessary, stating its initiation should occur in everyone's family, society, local level, province and national level.

She stated that collaboration, partnership and shared responsibility among the federal, provincial and local governments, the civil society, private sector, community, family and stakeholders is essential regarding betterment of the life of senior citizens.

The Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens highlighting that senior citizens possess knowledge, experience, and social capital, emphasised on everyone's cooperation to build a state that ensures the respect, participation, and dignified life of senior citizens.

She also stated that the ministry has already taken initiative to improve the old-age home, addressing the issues of the Pashupati Old Age Home as well as all the problems she had previously observed.

“We have already pursued the process of managing a special hotline service 1115 to listen to health-related problems and complaints of senior citizens in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, and through this the senior citizens can directly bring up their health-related problems and complaints before the government," she said on the occasion.

Nepal is marking the Fifth National Senior Citizens Day today with the slogan “Our Collective Campaign: Reverence and Respect for Senior Citizens.” 

The celebration of the Day which began in 2078 BS (2021 AD) aims to promote respect for senior citizens and safeguard their rights. 

As per Section 13 of the Senior Citizens Act, 2063 (2006), the Central Senior Citizens Welfare Committee, chaired by the then minister, decided at its meeting on Baisakh 8, 2078 (April 21, 2021), to observe Poush 11 annually as National Senior Citizens Day.

The date was chosen as it corresponds to Poush 11, 2051 BS (December 26, 1994), when the government first introduced old-age and social security allowances for senior citizens in Nepal. (RSS)