Skilled personnel looking after elderly people needed

BANGKOK, July 23 (TNA) - As the number of elderly people is sharply rising in Thailand, the country still needs more well trained nurses to look after them, said Deputy Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong. It is projected that the number of elderly people would increase to about 14 million, or 20 per cent of total population in Thailand by 2020. The deputy minister said there is still a lack of trained nurses or assistant nurses to take care of these people. Moreover, he said the services provided by some nursing homes do not meet required standards and a lot of complaints have been lodged in the past. It might affect the business in the long-run. In this regard, the Business Development Department has been assigned to help develop the business to meet the standard. Currently, there are 800 entrepreneurs opening nursing homes to look after elderly people nationwide. (TNA)