Kathmandu, January 16:

An international conference began here today to help formulate necessary policies and rules for the care and rehabilitation of senior citizens besides fixing standards for it.

Doctors from Nepal and Britain working in the sector will exchange their experiences on health problems of senior citizens at the conference participated in by doctors and organisations involved in the treatment of elderly people. The conference organised jointly by the Connect For Change, an international organisation, and Tribhuvan University (TU) Institute of Medicine (IoM) will also provide training to the representatives of various organisations on the care of senior citizens.

At the three-day conference participated in by 40 representatives from various organisations, doctors from Nepal and Britain will impart training on how to behave with senior citizens and assess their needs.

Inaugurating the conference, Minister for Health and Population Giriraj Mani Pokhrel said the government was thinking of special policies for the honour and rehabilitation of people above 60.

Health secretary Dr Sudha Sharma said time had come to think of programmes and policies for the social security of senior citizens.