LONDON—The ‘Welfare State’ can be sustained globally — even in the rapidly ageing societies of low- and middle-income countries. Social protection should not be delayed until a country is rich, and should be a state obligation.
These views came out of the Global Health Lab symposium entitled: “Is the welfare state sustainable with an ageing society?” hosted by Professor Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Dr Richard Horton, Editor of the Lancet.
The experts presenting data to the meeting — Professor Athina Vlachantoni from Centre for Research on Ageing at Southampton University, Astrid Walker Bourne of HelpAge International and Professor Peter Lloyd-Sherlock from the School of International Development at the University of East Anglia — explained to Peter Goodwin why there is an urgent need to prioritise the welfare of older citizens.
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[audio:https://www.audiomedica.com/podcasting/lshtm/111221_GlobalHealthLabAgeingPODCASTLoRes.mp3]
