In India, most older people (over 60) qualify for a pension which is actually paid, but it is low (just GBP16 a month) and if they need to buy medicines regularly they may be faced with the choice of medicines or food. So even a few pounds a month can make all the difference. One that illustrated just what GBP10 a month will do is Dommayanthi, a woman with Parkinson’s disease. She is poor – she lives in a mud brick house with her daughter. She has been prescribed medication to control her condition, which she has to take twice a day. That would cost her entire pension, leaving her nothing to live on. So she compromises on having just one dose a day, which does not produce the desired effect. We have promised her an additional GBP10 a month, which will mean that she can have the proper amount of medication.
