Senior citizens, who went to the Coimbatore Collectorate on Monday, were in for a surprise as the Social Welfare Department had organised a medical camp in association with Help Age India to mark the Senior Citizen’s Day.
According to Sherin Philip, District Social Welfare Officer, a doctor and three assistants helped by the Department staff conducted the camp at the Collectorate, targeting those senior citizens who submitted petitions to the Collector at the weekly grievances day meeting.
The doctor gave away medicines at no cost to a few persons and referred a few others to doctors at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital. In all, around 200 men and women participated in the medical camp.
Later, in the evening, the Department had organised a programme at the St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged in Podanur. With the help of a few philanthropists, the Department gave away walking sticks, walkers and wheel chairs to around 30 senior citizens.
On Monday, many elderly residents of the district approached Collector M. Karunagaran saying that they were not getting old age pension. A group of residents from Maniakarampalayam petitioned the Collector saying that they were yet to hear from the officials on their requests for old age pension, though they had submitted applications at least half-a-dozen times.
The Collector promised to look into their demands.
