In recent years, geriatric health has received the
attention of health professionals and policy planners
across the world. In India, with number of
elderly constituting 7.7% of the population1, the
need for geriatric care is increasingly being recognised.
The government of India has taken a few initiatives
to improve the heath care system; introduced
a new National Health Policy-2002; increased the
emphasis on improving the accessibility to health
care facilities, increasing the role of private sectors
in delivery of health care, promoting Indian and
traditional system of medicine, especially for
improved access to rural masses, supporting voluntary
agencies to establish mobile medicare units,
and improving the health insurance both for
employees in organised and unorganised sector.
In addition, special guidelines have been issued
to promote the creation of outdoor and indoor
facilities for elderly persons, separate queues at
counters in government hospitals and priority to
elderly persons in admission and treatment2.
However, geriatric education has not received as
much importance as health care delivery. Geriatric
medicine is in its infancy and geriatric dentistry is
almost non-existent in India. Very few initiatives
that have been taken in geriatric education are
enumerated below.
• Only one Government Medical College in
Chennai (in South India) offers full-fledged
Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Master of Surgery
(MS) degree courses in Geriatric Medicine and
Geriatric Surgery respectively.
• The Indira Gandhi National Open University at
Delhi (IGNOU) has started a 1-year postgraduate
(PG) Diploma Course in Geriatric Medicine from
the academic year 2003–04. In this PG Diploma
course, the curriculum includes a chapter on
Geriatric Oral Health.
• The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, in
collaboration with WHO conducts short-term
training programmes in Geriatric Medicine for
104 2005 The Gerodontology Association and Blackwell Munksgaard Ltd, Gerodontology 2005; 22: 104–105
sensitisation and reorientation of teachers in
Medical Schools so that they can incorporate
geriatric aspect in the teaching of various clinical
subjects.
There are other training programs run at different
institutions for training of Geriatric care
workers.
• An institute of Mental Health and Neuro-sciences
runs a 11/2 year course, which includes a
6 month academic session and 1 year of field
training in geriatric care. The eligibility for this
course is 12th grade of schooling. It targets students
of lower socio-economic class and provides
them with job opportunities in geriatric care –
either in old age homes, long-term care facilities
or individually at home.
• National Institute of Social Defense under the
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has
initiated a Project ‘National Initiative on Care for
Elderly’ (NICE). This project aims to create
awareness and sensitise citizens to establish
community support to the elderly. It conducts
3 months, 6 months and 1-year courses, aimed
at capacity building of the service providers to the
elderly.
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