International Day of Older Persons is celebrated by the HMC
Doha: During the Qatar International Geriatrics, and Gerontology Conference, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) celebrated UN International Day of Older Persons (IDOP). The conference provided the opportunity to highlight the success of the Healthy Ageing Strategy.
More than 1500 delegates participated in the event which spanned over 3 days of the virtual conference. They discussed and shared their knowledge of the ageing process. The conference successfully concluded on Saturday. According to Dr Hanadi Al Hamad, Qatar is one of the leading countries to see the need to address the health needs of older persons. Dr Hanadi Al Hamad is the NHS 2 National Lead for Healthy Ageing and Focal Point for the Elderly in Qatar.
“Qatar’s older population is growing exponentially, and while it is a real achievement in that life expectancy is growing (for Qataris, it is now around 80 years). We also find that around 80% of our older population are living with three or more chronic health conditions that need medical attention and healthcare support,” Dr Al Hamad said.
It is expected that the number of older persons worldwide will increase to reach 1.5 billion persons by 2050. Currently, the number of persons aged 65 and above in Qatar is close to 2% of the total population, which is an increase from the 1% of the 2010s. This will even grow by 300% by 2050.
