Hazardous Haze May Solve Our Aging Population Problem!

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

The current hazardous haze problem may be just what the doctor ordered to solve our Govt's Number One Problem: A Rapidly Aging Population. Companies will rejoice as they will be able to hire more elite Foreign Talents from India, China and the Philipines! This will lead to a much higher GDP growth and a wealthier, more prosperous nation!

Throughout the world and throughout history. The Young has always outnumbered the Elderly. However this is changing. Rapidly. How does the fewer young support the high ratios of elderly? As they grow older, they are likely to be less productive due to health issues. How would the world economy cope with less money and more expenses?

The ageing population in Singapore is growing at an alarming trend. We currently have more than 450,000 people aged 65 and above as of Augus 2011. By 2025, 14 years from now, the ratio of those aged 65 and above will be more than 20% of our population.

By 2050, those aged 65 and above will be almost 30%. Compared to the number of young less than 15. We will see more elderly than kids anywhere we go.

Singapore is also one of the country with the lowest birth rates in the World. We only have 8.5 births in 1,000 population (ranked last 4 countries by CIA World Factbook as of 10 August 2011). Combined the low birth rates and a rapidly ageing population in Singapore, we do have some fundamentally serious consequences.

With a larger portion of the population being older, the productivity and GDP of Singapore may decline. This is because, without spending power due to lower employment rate and income of the elderly, there will be lesser spending in the economy. This will drive down the GDP and the economy in Singapore.

Health care cost will likely continue to rise as demand for health will increase with an ageing population in Singapore.

Singapore's smog index hit the critical 400 level on Friday, making it potentially life-threatening to the ill and elderly people, according to a government monitoring site.

The record level was reached at 11:00 am (0300 GMT) after a rapid rise in the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI), which measures the haze crisis caused by Indonesian forest fires.

Indonesian and Singaporean officials have been holding emergency talks on how to extinguish the fires on farms and plantations on Sumatra island, which are also affecting Malaysia.

According to Singapore government guidelines, sustained PSI average levels above 400 on a 24-hour basis "may be life-threatening to ill and elderly persons".

General practitioner Philip Koh said he had seen a 20 percent spike in consultations in the past week, and estimated that about 80 percent of all his patients are suffering from haze-related ailments.


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