Plan for our ageing population

THE population of Malaysia has been projected to increase from 18.4 million to 33.3 million between 1990 and 2020, an increase of 80%. The aged population (people 60 years and above) is expected to increase from 1.05 million in 1990 to 3.26 million over the same period, an increase of 210%.

For us, there are serious problems and challenges ahead given that the absolute and relative number of our elderly is increasing. Nur Syahidah Abdul Jalil in her article “The need for a strong ageing support system” (The Star, Jan 3) rightly stressed that our increasingly elderly population challenges not only our nation’s economy but also, and most importantly, our humanity.