SAEDNEWS: President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that Iran is on the verge of a significant demographic shift, emphasizing the urgent need to prepare for the country’s rapidly aging population.
According to Saednews, In a message marking National Elderly Week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said estimates suggest that more than 30% of Iran’s population will be elderly by 1430 (2051), warning that there is limited time to prepare the necessary infrastructure.
“As a physician, I know well that prevention is always less costly, more humane and more effective than delayed intervention,” he said, urging early action to address chronic illnesses, loneliness, poverty, loss of independence, and pressure on families and insurance systems.
“The time to prepare for an aging society is when we are not yet elderly,” Pezeshkian stressed.
He called for a national, forward-looking and cross-sectoral policy on aging, emphasizing that healthcare, housing, transportation, social security, employment, technology and elderly care should be addressed as interconnected issues.
Pezeshkian also called for an integrated national database on aging, a revision of the National Document on Older Persons, stronger legal protections for the elderly, expanded care services and caregiver training, as well as measures to promote the “silver economy,” social participation, age-friendly cities, home-based care and retirement planning.
