Aug. 18: In just over a year, the number of Calcuttans availing themselves of Apollo's home-care service has grown from 2,000 to more than 10,000.

The surge in enrolment points to the sorry state of the city's elderly people as their children are forced to move elsewhere to build their careers in the absence of industry in Bengal.

Private hospitals and specialised care-providers offer medical assistance at home. But more players are needed to address the ever-increasing demand, said Mahesh Joshi, CEO of Apollo Home Healthcare, a division of the Apollo Group, which had launched its home-care programme in Calcutta in January 2016.

"The number would be in lakhs, perhaps millions in terms of the need. It is humongous; the need is too huge. We need many other players to address that need," Joshi told Metro at the inauguration of Hiland Harmony, a residential project for the elderly and the disabled at Calcutta Riverside in Mahestala.

The project, for which Apollo Home Healthcare and Elixir Communities have collaborated with Hiland Group, will enable residents of the township to have home-care and assisted living facilities.

Apollo Home Healthcare - which operates in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi and Calcutta - serves more than 50,000 people. Calcutta accounts for nearly 20 per cent of the market.

"The focus on youth sometimes leads us to forget the fact that India will also be home to the second largest community of people over the age of 65 by 2025," said Sangita Reddy, joint managing director of Apollo Hospitals.

Chandralekha Banerjee, 75, a Salt Lake resident, joined the Apollo home-care programme more than a year ago. Banerjee's son, an architect, is based in Florida. "My husband passed away in March 2015. He had gone to a pharmacy when he suffered a stroke. We had a hard time finding a hospital. After the incident, my son got me registered with the home-care programme," Banerjee told Metro.

It is difficult for an elderly person to visit a hospital or a clinic for regular check-ups. This is where home-care comes in. Some of the services offered are regular medical check-ups, physiotherapy, 24X7 nursing and doorstep medicine delivery. The service includes blood pressure monitoring, X-ray and ECG.

The Medica Group of Hospitals had in January 2016 launched a home-care service for those suffering from chronic or critical illnesses or who have undergone surgeries. "We have more than 5,000 patients. There is a 15-20 per cent growth every month," said Alok Roy, chairman of the group.

"For critical patients, a day in hospital often costs more than Rs 15,000. If kept under home care, the cost can come down to Rs 5,000," said Roy.