Siriraj Hospital is set to inaugurate its first Geriatric Medicine Centre in Samut Sakhon. The move comes as Thailand witnesses a significant rise in the number of senior citizens, with over a million people entering this age bracket each year.
According to Dr Apichat Asavamongkolkul, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand is transitioning into an aged society and is on the path to becoming a super-aged society, where the proportion of citizens aged 65 and over exceeds 20%. Recognizing the importance of geriatric care in such a scenario, the World Health Organization (WHO) is encouraging nations like Thailand to prioritize the well-being of the elderly and promote self-care interventions for their health and overall quality of life.
Dr Apichat also underscored the need for the healthcare system to shift its focus towards holistic well-being, rather than merely providing individual care. He further revealed that Siriraj Hospital plans to launch the care center by the end of this year, intending to establish it as a model that can be replicated by the Ministry of Public Health in other regional cities across Thailand.
Dr Prasert Assantachai, a professor at the Preventive and Social Medicine Department of Siriraj Hospital, noted that 2023 marks the first year in which the number of elderly individuals will increase by over one million annually. This upward trend is projected to continue for the next two decades. Common health issues among the elderly population include bone and muscle diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease, as well as neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Siriraj Hospital Director Dr Visit Vamvanij affirmed that the hospital is committed to supporting healthy aging and will initiate additional projects in this field. He added that the facility has already been conducting research on health screening, community-based intermediate care, and the development of a universal health database for seniors. (NNT)
