Taking note of increasing litigations related to the violation of the rights of senior citizens, the High Court of Karnataka has directed the State government to examine the feasibility of creating a comprehensive policy or legislative framework for “senior citizens in need of care and protection”, broadly modelled on the lines of protection given to minors through the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
Mysuru incident
The court also directed the Mysuru district administration to admit a 74-year-old woman, suffering from gangrene and other age-related ailments, and who was not adequately taken care of by her children, to a government hospital and to provide her with all necessary treatment and care entirely at the cost of the government.
The court noticed that Section 20 of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Seniors Act, 2007, requires the State government to ensure that government hospitals or hospitals funded fully or partially by the government provide beds for all senior citizens as far as possible, facilitate the treatment of chronic ailments, and make available the earmarked facilities for geriatric patients in every district hospital, duly headed by a medical officer with experience in geriatric care. | Photo Credit: File Photo
