Socio-Economic and health Status and the social Protection of the Ageing Population in Pakistan

Abstract

The aim of this study is to scrutinize the socio-economic status of the ageing population in Pakistan. All these factors are in the context of socio-economic protection of the ageing population, which is a neglected area in our country. The methodology of this study has two main components: (1) a quantitative analysis using the micro data of Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) Survey 2012-13, and (2) a qualitative analysis by conducting In-depth interviews (IDIs) with doctors in both the public and private sectors to investigate their perspectives. The ageing population in this study is defined as population age 60 and above, a standard set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The findings from both the quantitative and qualitative studies reveal that the ageing population in Pakistan is very vulnerable to poor health and physical care. There is no proper mechanism for their socio-economic protection with very few government and non-governmental agencies providing them health services with a very limited coverage. This situation demands for a proper system of socio-economic protection for the ageing population to protect them from socio-economic and health vulnerabilities.