21/09/2023
By 2030, 1.4 billion people will be aged 60 and over. Yet the majority of health and care systems worldwide remain unprepared for population ageing and associated increases in rates of NCDs and disability. This is particularly true in low- and middle-income countries where over 70% of older people live.
Today, millions of older people and PLWCNDs in these countries are unable to access the services they need or are pushed into poverty doing so.
More than 1 billion people each year face catastrophic health spending, with older households and PLWNCDS among those most at risk.
Urgent action is needed to increase investment to deliver UHC in low- and middle-income countries and to reorient systems everywhere to be fit for an ageing world.
We urge governments to:
• Champion age responsive, disability inclusive and gender transformative UHC that addresses the barriers older people and PLWNCDS face to accessing services, including those related to the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of services, whilst taking action to tackle ageism and discrimination.
• Scale-up efforts to respond to older people’s and PLWNCDS needs for community based and integrated promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative, palliative and long-term care and support services, and access to medicines, vaccines and assistive technologies that promote
healthy ageing
• Meaningfully engage and empower older people and PLWNCDS at all levels in the pursuit of good health and wellbeing
I thank you
