From: Ilia Stambler <ilia.stambler@gmail.com>
Through Claudio Schuftan
In response to the MMI/PHM comment on the WHO Global Strategy and Action Plan on Aging and Health, one must fully agree with the MMI and PHM emphasis on the need to improve social protection for the elderly, and against commercialization of aging care. Yet one must regret the statement “Ageing is a normal process in any person’s life. Yet it is approached as if it were a disease, thus unnecessarily medicalising a natural process.” Yes, it is a normal and natural degenerative process that brings about a lot of aging-related diseases, suffering and loss of social participation of the elderly. The statement above appears really derogatory about the efforts of medical science and science-based health care to alleviate the grievances of aging, to achieve healthy and productive longevity for the elderly population, to help them enjoy their human rights, the right to health in the first place. The socially conscious and egalitarian health movement should really support the development of science and medical technology for the elderly and the universal and egalitarian distribution of resulting therapies, and make this support one of the chief points of advocacy also in front of the WHO.
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