Eight government-run Shanti Nibash facilities built to shelter elderly people remain non-operational due to delays in staff recruitment, leaving Bangladesh without a functioning state-run residential care system for older citizens.

The facilities, one in each division with a combined capacity of 200 residents, have yet to admit anyone despite construction being completed in June 2024.

“There are currently no residents as the process of creating permanent posts is still underway,” said Mohd Sadiqul Haque, additional director of the Department of Social Services. He added that the facilities were built between 2021 and 2024 and are expected to be inaugurated next month.

Shah Mohammad Mahbub, director general of the Department of Social Services, said the relevant ministries have given their approvals, with only secretary-level clearance pending.

The delay comes as Bangladesh’s elderly population grows. According to the World Health Organization, around 16.5 million people, or 10 percent of the population, were aged 60 or above in 2024. The share is projected to rise to 19 percent by 2050.

In the absence of a functioning state-run system, many older people depend on a small network of private and charitable homes. But private facilities are often beyond the reach of low- and middle-income families, while NGO-run homes face limited capacity and resources, widening the gap between demand and available care.

For Rafsun Ara Baby, 72, growing old has meant spending her days at Probin Nibash, a non-profit elderly care centre in Dhaka, far from her two children who live in London.

With no close family members nearby to care for her, Baby said the home was her only option. While it provides shelter and companionship, access to healthcare remains a major concern.

“There is no good doctor for our treatment,” she said, adding that she worries about what would happen if her health deteriorated.

During a recent visit, The Daily Star found that Probin Nibash, one of the country’s oldest elderly care facilities, was struggling to meet growing demand.

Its president, Muhammad Shamsul Haq, said the organisation operates around 80 active branches in 63 districts, but only its Dhaka headquarters has a residential facility.

Established in 1983, the facility has capacity for 50 residents and currently houses 30 -- 17 women and 13 men -- many of them elderly parents with nobody to care for them.

The organisation receives around Tk 4 crore annually from the health ministry to support its hospital and other activities, Shamsul said. But he said the funding was insufficient to recruit highly qualified doctors or significantly expand services.

Citing research conducted by Ashraful Alam, assistant director of the Bangladesh Association for the Aged, Shamsul said around 100 privately or NGO-run old-age homes operate across the country, collectively housing only 1,000 to 1,500 residents.

However, there is no official data on the exact number of privately or NGO-run old-age homes in the country or their capacities.

At Probin Nibash, residents pay about Tk 8,000 a month for accommodation. New residents must also pay a non-refundable Tk 3,000 admission and health check-up fee as well as an advance security deposit of around Tk 48,000, equivalent to six months’ accommodation costs.

Shamsul said these upfront expenses make residential care unaffordable for many elderly people and their families.

A 2022 study by University of Chittagong researchers, based on interviews with 60 residents at three old-age homes -- the free Old Rehabilitation Centre in Gazipur and Amena-Bashar Old Rehabilitation Center in Chattogram, and the paid Probin Nibash in Dhaka -- found that 56.7 percent cited family neglect as a reason for moving into a home, while 43.3 percent said they had nobody to care for them. At the paid facility, the latter was the most common reason, cited by 55 percent.

Satisfaction varied considerably by service. Across the three homes, 91.7 percent were satisfied with safety, 86.7 percent with physical exercise facilities, 68.3 percent with spiritual facilities, 58.3 percent with medical care and 53.3 percent with recreational facilities. However, only 38.3 percent were satisfied with food and 35 percent with accommodation, with most rating both as average.

At Probin Nibash, 60 percent were satisfied with medical care and 80 percent with accommodation, but only 10 percent with food. Overall, recreational facilities, medical care and accommodation were rated better at the paid home, while food, spiritual facilities, safety, physical exercise and funeral arrangements fared better at the free facilities.

The researchers recommended expanding institutional facilities and opportunities for residents to participate in social activities to improve their quality of life.

Meanwhile, Apon Nibash, a privately run home for elderly women, houses 100 residents and has no vacant beds, according to its founder and executive director, Syeda Selina Selim.

Most are destitute or abandoned women rescued from the streets and receive free accommodation, food and care, she said.

“Sometimes someone is brought to us with wounds or in such a condition that we simply cannot turn her away. Even when there is no space, we somehow accommodate her.”

Selina said financial constraints prevent the organisation from expanding despite growing demand. It receives limited assistance from the Department of Social Services but depends largely on donations and private support.

Dr Sadeka Halim of the Sociology Department at Dhaka University said Bangladesh needs a planned, state-led elderly care system as its ageing population grows and traditional family support structures weaken.

“Care facilities should offer not only accommodation but also healthcare, rehabilitation and mental health support, particularly for the homeless and destitute.”