Zimpapers Logo

Lawrence Chitumba Mashonaland Central Bureau

Businesses and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been urged to partner the Government and come up with interventions that cushion the elderly against economic challenges.

This was said by the Minister of State for Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs Monica Mavhunga recently during commemorations to mark the International Day of Older Persons in                                            Bindura.

She said Government was fully aware of the socio-economic situations that the elderly find themselves in and has been rolling out a number of policies and programmes aimed at assisting them.

“The elderly contributed immensely to the growth of the country in various facets of life and they are the ones taking care of the orphans left behind by victims of the HIV and Aids pandemic. They deserve to be cared for,” she said.

“There is need to facilitate things like access to health care at Government and mission hospitals.

‘‘The Department of Social Welfare has been providing the ‘assistance medical treatment order’ to all vulnerable people of which 35 percent using the facility are the elderly.

“More than 70 080 people, the elderly included are on public assistance and are beneficiaries of the food deficiency mitigation programme implemented by the Government.”

She said senior citizens also require protection against discrimination and all forms of abuse which is at times perpetrated by family members who are supposed to be taking care of them.