CHITWAN, Aug 21: On Monday, Tanka Kumari Rijal, 91, of Jhuwani, Ratnanagar Municipality-5, was taking rest at her home when a team of doctors led by the municipality's mayor and deputy mayor visited her.

After reaching her home, the doctors started examining her health condition. They tested her blood and sugar level and suggested to her to continue taking the medicines she is taking and eat healthy diet. The municipality has introduced a program according to which doctors and health workers will visit the homes of elderly people to provide them health checkup and treatment. 

Similarly, doctors checked the health of Khadga Kumari Dhungana, 92, of the same village whose left side of the body is paralyzed. The municipality started its program to provide health checkup for citizens above 80 at home from Monday. Provincial member Kanchan Khanal inaugurated the program. She stated that it is the responsibility of the municipality to provide health treatment to the elderly people, as they are the guardians of the state.

There are 16 wards in the municipality and elderly citizens of all wards will be benefited from this program, said Mayor Narayan Ban.  As per the program, a physician and a lab technician will have to reach the remote areas of the municipality to check the health condition of the elderly.

The municipality has already collected the details of locals above 80 years of age. Reportedly, there are altogether 80,410 people in the municipality and 1,050 of them are above 80.  Some people are above 100 years of age. For the current fiscal year, the municipality has sanctioned a total budget of Rs 1 million for this program.

"Doctors will conduct regular checkups for the elderly people and will also provide them with the required medicines," said Mayor Ban. Municipality will use one of its ambulances for the service. A large number of elderly citizens struggle with their illness for long, as they cannot reach hospitals and health centers. "It is troublesome for senior citizens without children or whose children are abroad in search of job to go to hoispitals," said Deputy Mayor Bimala Duwadi. Therefore, the representatives must work like their children and take proper care of them, she says.

Meanwhile, the municipality has also planned to distribute elderly allowance through mobile banking system. According to Mayor Ban, age limit will be reduced in the coming years after seeing the effectiveness of this program. Meanwhile, preparations are underway to provide free health treatment to women and children.