The Right to Access Health Care for Elderly People: The Case of Addis Ababa, Gulele Sub-City
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Date
2015-05
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Abstract
Elderly people’s population is growing faster all over the world. Elderly people, in Ethiopia, are
one of the vulnerable groups in the society due to physical change, health disorder and financial
constraint. The increase in population together with their increased vulnerability is an alarming
call for policy action and service provision for the elderly. Elderly need special care and support
from all parts of the society. Elderly people also want to access basic service. However, the
human rights of elderly people to access basic services are neglected. The objective of this study
is, therefore, to assess the right to access health care of elderly people in Addis Ababa, Gulele
Sub-city. The study used a qualitative research methodology and employed different data
collection tools to collect the necessary data from ten key informants, two FGDs and different
officials. Relevant international, regional and national human rights instruments that address
issues on elderly, in general, and their right to access health care are explored. The findings of
the study reveal that the right to access health care of elderly is jeopardized. The poor access to
health care is the result of unavailability, inaccessibility, lack of acceptance and poor quality of
the health care service. Though it is not strong, the roles of government and NGOs are addressed.
And finally, the research draws conclusions and recommendations
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Keywords
Elderly People, Health care, Access, Human rights