Our Correspondent
Shikarpur
After may years of passing of Act-2014 in the Sindh Assembly, a mass signature campaign has been launched here in the Shikarpur district on Monday. The campaign was kicked off during a “Week of Action” to raised the awareness among the masses and mobilize grass root groups, district and provincial groups to demand for the rights of older people. Through this the community and Older People Associations (OPAs) were assembled and demanded to the Government of Sindh for the proper implementation and execution of the Act.
The Project Coordinator, SRSO- Help Age International, Ms Maria Soomro regretted that after the passed senior citizen bill in 2016 from Sindh Assembly still in pending, she said the government should initiate steps for early implement the bill. She said that the signature campaign was a joint effort of SRSO and another UK based non-governmental organization Help Age International. She said that the Help Age International was working for the rights of the elderly people in more than 90 countries since many decades.
Ms Soomro along with focal person help age project, Asghar Maitlo visited several institutes and organizations and government departments and got the petition signed from people of all age group including journalists, lawyers, doctors, engineers, industrialists and other professionals. According to Act, free entry of to parks, entertainment sites, museums and libraries, accessible building, places and facilities, discounted fare in government transport, establishment of age friendly bus stands, financial assistance to people taking care of their older age parents and other older people, separate counter, outdoor department and medical ward in each hospital, discount in fees in all health facilities, provision of regular used medicines on special discount and inclusion of chapters on care of older people had been suggested, she mentioned.
