AGING POPULATION
The increase in the number of aging people in the world will certainly increase the pressure on the healthcare system. The increase in the chronic diseases and medical conditions due to adverse changes in the lifestyles has contributed to the growing burden of illnesses of the aging population on the healthcare system and healthcare providers. More number of aged patients means more work forces required to handle them. Within the next decade, an increase of 14 per cent is expected to be evident in the adult care service sector. The current status of prolonged waiting time for getting an appointment of the specialists indicates a dearth of medical doctors in the world. This further confirms the need of more healthcare providers in the years to come.
The present situation and the expected future scenario calls for more number of qualified medical professionals. More numbers of people are needed to be trained. The institutions where such education can be provided are also needed to be planned and constructed (Dall et al., 2013).
The increase in the number of elderly people will not only add up to the burden for the healthcare system but will also have an impact on the economy of the countries of various parts of the world. With the increasing number of patients, the need for medical equipments will also increase, thus creating an added burden on the economy (Dominiczak, 2014).
More advancement in technology, increase in the manpower trained for healthcare services and increase in the number of medical training institutes can help in combating with the problem of increasing burden on the medical care system due to the aging population of the world.
References
Dall, T., Gallo, P., Chakrabarti, R., West, T., Semilla, A., & Storm, M. (2013). An Aging Population And Growing Disease Burden Will Require ALarge And Specialized Health Care Workforce By 2025. Health Affairs, 32(11), 2013-2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2013.0714
Dominiczak, P. (2014). New NHS chief warns of the burden of an ageing population. The Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/10735452/New-NHS-chief-warns-of-the-burden-of-an-ageing-population.html
