MELAKA:Pantai Hospital Ayer Keroh has introduced geriatric medicine which focuses on the treatment of elderly patients aged 60 and above in an effort to improve the quality of life and well-being of this group.

Its geriatric and internal medicine specialist, Dr Tay Hui Sian said the new service, which started operations in June last year, has received encouraging response from the public with about 1,000 patients registering as users of the service.

"Adults will experience many physical changes in their bodies as they get older, either from old age or from conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and so on. Therefore, when treating older patients, geriatric specialists need to consider these aspects," she told Bernama here today.

Dr Tay, who served in the United Kingdom for 14 years and holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Aberdeen, UK, said the purpose of the service was established at the hospital to improve health through the prevention and treatment of diseases as well as to overcome the disability caused by old age and to realise that the is an increasing number of senior citizens in the country.

"By 2020, Malaysia had 3.4 million senior citizens or almost 11 per cent of the population. This means that one in 10 people is an individual over 60 years old. Therefore, senior citizens have the right to enjoy a more comfortable life as well as healthcare support," she said.

She said based on the United Nations’ projections, Malaysia is expected to become an ageing nation by 2030 when the population aged 60 and above would have reached 15 per cent of the country's population.

She said the geriatric specialists at Pantai Hospital Ayer Keroh Hospital have extensive experience apart from being supported by a dedicated team consisting of professionals in various disciplines, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians and speech and language therapists.

"Collectively, this team of professional physicians uses more holistic methods to diagnose and treat disease conditions in older patients, in addition to providing the social support that may be needed in the treatment of each patient," said Dr Tay.

The health screening programme offered at the hospital's geriatric medicine unit is a basic package priced at RM330 and a comprehensive package priced at RM580, in addition to the "Fall and Mobility" Programme to assess and treat high-risk patients priced at only RM178.

For more information, the public can call 06-2319999 ext 2138.

-- BERNAMA