Poland unveils plans to support senior citizens

The policy, which is due to be launched in 2020 and remain in place until 2030, will add a new dimension to the concept of welfare state in Poland, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters in Warsaw on Tuesday.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Elżbieta Rafalska, the minister for family, labour and social policy, Morawiecki said that support for seniors was a measure of the quality of government in the contemporary world.

"The older generation is deserving of not only respect, but also support as part of a comprehensive state policy,” he said.

Rafalska told reporters that the programme had taken more than a year to develop and that it would soon become the subject of inter-ministerial consultations.

She added that the new policy would cover a variety of areas and address issues such as safety, health, active participation of seniors in the life of society, and the need to adapt infrastructure to the needs of the elderly.

Morawiecki, who took over as Poland's new conservative prime minister in December, has vowed that his government will focus both on economic development and on helping poorer citizens.

Soon after being sworn into office, Morawiecki said in a broad-ranging policy speech in parliament that "development and social affairs are one and the same thing: a flourishing economy is a prerequisite for a generous social policy.”

(gs/pk)

Source: IAR