This is what emerges from a discussion that took place yesterday (Monday 9/7/718) in the Knesset's Science Committee * Chairman of the committee MK Uri Makleb: "Longevity is a blessing and an honor and not, God forbid, a burden; There must be a serious investment in the prevention of old age diseases"
The Science and Technology Committee convened yesterday (Monday 9/7/718) for a special meeting to mark Senior Citizens Day. The topic of discussion in the committee was increasing research and development for quality and longevity and prevention of old age diseases. The meeting was initially chaired by a member of the committee, MK Dov Hanin, who expressed his displeasure at the beginning of the discussion at the existing situation that there is not enough preparation to ensure a quality of life for the elderly in Israel, "Older people are prone to illness that harms their quality of life. It doesn't seem yet that we will do anything serious to prepare in advance and prevent the problematic situation they end up in." MK Hanin referred to the presentation of data that the committee received ahead of time from 'Vetak' - the veteran citizens' movement. The alarming figures in the committee point to almost zero budget of the research funds for the subject.
Dr. Ilya Stembler, Scientific Director of the Senior Citizens Movement presented the full data to the committee and said: "Increasing research and development for quality and longevity and prevention of old age diseases is an essential part of the effort to deal with the aging of the population. During the last decades, the average life expectancy increased worldwide, reaching about 70 years (world average) in 2014 (6 years more than in 1990) and about 80 in the developed countries (compared to about 50 years in the developed countries at the beginning of the 20th century) . Therefore, there is an urgent need to promote the study of aging and aging-related diseases as a means of improving the healthy and productive life expectancy of the older population."
According to him, despite all of this, aging is the main risk factor and the root of chronic diseases, but at the same time, after examining all budget sources, biomedical research and development programs for healthy longevity are almost non-existent. Among the data presented, it appears that the research fund of the National Insurance, budgeted 180 million NIS in the last year for research and 0 for the issues of old age. Also, the Ministry of Health, whose annual research budget is 20 million NIS per year, did not allocate anything for this topic.
In the discussion, it was also brought up that it has not been 20 years since a survey was conducted on the elderly population in Israel - something that hinders the appropriate preparation for them. According to Naama Rotem, head of health at the Central Bureau of Statistics, this survey is important but they have not yet found the budgetary source to carry it out.
MK Dov Hanin claimed in the hearing that the committee would soon issue a letter to the Minister of Finance and the CEO of the National Insurance Institute about the data in the hearing. "How is it possible that a ministry that is most important in having research - the Ministry of Health - is found with a paltry and humiliating amount of only 20 million NIS, and how is it explained that when the highest context of the National Insurance is the issue of old age, despite all this there is no budget for research on the subject out of 180 million NIS?" Hanin said.
Dr. Yakir Kaufman, the medical director at the Herzog Hospital in Jerusalem: "Unfortunately, the health system is reactive and does not do enough to identify in advance people with risk factors in the community. We need to lower the risk factors for the older population early in their life stages in terms of nutrition, physical fitness, etc. One of the things that causes illness today is retirement. The age by which they act is an age that corresponds to the age of a person's life in the last century. Today we live double and even more. Studies show in a way that is not implied in two ways - most people were in retirement at the peak and the decline starts since then."
The chairman of the committee, Dov Hanin, summarized the discussion and said that "the conduct of the State of Israel in this matter is nothing less than scandalous. The older population - this is life itself and all the allowance for this topic from a research point of view that will improve their lives is extremely minimal. The things presented are unacceptable. The committee will present the full seriousness of the matter to the Prime Minister and the relevant ministers. We are in a gap that cannot be tolerated."
Dr. Sharon Yegor-Carol, director of the medical sciences field at the Ministry of Science and Technology, told the committee that since 2015 the ministry has supported about 40 studies in the field of old age and aging with a total investment amount of NIS 32 million and that this year the ministry will invest an additional NIS 6.5 million in the subject.
The chairman of the committee, MK Uri Makleb, came at the end of the return to hear the conclusions of the discussion and said that "longevity is a blessing and an honor and God forbid a burden - we should care about the quality and longevity of life at any age." Old age is the source of strength and inspiration and that's where the true and great investment is supposed to come. The committee will follow up on the necessary things of the discussion and will follow what is done for the prevention of old age diseases."
One response
The Ministry of Science gives very partial information... it is worth checking who and why the funding was given and how it will advance the medicine of the elderly.