Growing number of seniors with low pensions and no medical care
Thailand’s working-age population is expected to shrink by 11 per cent by 2040. Most Thais reach 60 without adequate savings. Many rely on their children. Others “just let go and die because” they don’t have money, says Fr Adriano Pelosin. State pensions amount to “less than a dollar a day.”
Bangkok (AsiaNews) – In the Bangkok "slums where I work the situation for seniors is disastrous, a full scale emergency. Many of them are not helped by their children, because some have died from AIDS or other causes; others are drug addicts or in jail,” said Fr Adriano Pelosin, a PIME missionary who has been in Thailand for 35 years.
"Not only are these seniors not helped by their children but they often have to take care of their grandchildren,” Fr Pelosin explained. “Those who can work hard. Others try to survive on the 600-700 baht the government pays them after they reach 60. That is less than a dollar a day, and life in Thailand can be expensive."
In spite of the country’s young population (median age is 38), with life expectancy is improving. In a few years, the number of pensioners will rise as well. Thailand’s working-age population is also expected to shrink by 11 per cent by 2040.
This threatens the lives of millions of people as young people are forced to spend more of their earnings to take care of their parents, whilst childless seniors can expect to live in poverty because the pension system is inadequate. In fact, more than a quarter of Thailand’s 66 million people have not saved for old age, according to a 2014 survey.
In the capital's slums, Fr Pelosin deals with pensioners who have nothing to live on. "Unfortunately, what we can do is precious little in comparison to the needs. We bring the elderly to hospital and pay for their medical care,” he explained.
“Some of them do not have papers; so we help them at the Register’s Office with relatives as witnesses. This is time-consuming, but once done, they can get free medical care. Many other though, just let go and die because they don’t have the Gold (health) Card that allows them to be treated.”
For young people, things can really be bad. Supapan Pullbangyung is a civil servant. She spends almost half of her salary on her 75-year-old father, who suffers from diabetes and dementia. Susapan’s monthly medical bill is 15,000 baht (US$ 430) and health care costs are rising.
According to Fr Pelosin, state pensions "are too low. Some civil servants can get an adequate pension. Others take out insurance, an option the government is promoting. The problem is that only those who earn a decent wage can afford this. In the end, those who lose out are the poor, the least informed, or the unwary who have not thought about their own future.”
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