Almost 50 old-age pensioners of Bath Settlement who went to uplift their pension books around 8 am yesterday were disappointed that after waiting a few hours they were told to return at 1 pm.
The pensioners told Stabroek News they were at first told to go to the Bath Settlement Market and after waiting there for a while they were sent to the Community Centre Ground a short distance away.
Stabroek News learnt that workers from the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security in Georgetown had gone to Berbice to distribute the books but were delayed up in another area. They were unable to be in Bath Settlement on time.
When this newspaper spoke with the pensioners around 10.30 am they said that someone had just “phone and find out how long more awe gat to wait”. It was then that they were informed that the workers would be there at 1 pm.
However, they opted to return home instead as most of them said they suffered from medical complaints such as hypertension and diabetes. Some had left home since 6 am without having breakfast and said they were hungry and were not prepared to wait any longer.
A 90-year-old man, Dhanprashad who is blind said he had left home before 8 am and “it hard on me to go home and come back.” Kulman Ramkissoon, 86, said she left home around 6.30 am even though her blood pressure was “over 200”.
Some of the pensioners said they were also told to wait at the dispensary at Bath yesterday while few said too that they were not sure what day they had to collect their books and had gone there on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last.
Mohan, 69, said he had to collect his pension from the estate at 1 pm and “would see what time me gon finish and if me gon get a chance to come back.”
The pensioners also said that they were disappointed and “hurt how dem does treat old people.” Irene, 67 said, “As far as I am concern they treat old people like floor mat… we work hard in we young days to develop this country and today awe na gat no rights. Look what we gat fuh go through fuh this lil bit a money.”
Contacted, Regional Chairman, Harrinarine Baldeo told this newspaper that while he was happy with the initiative of the ministry to distribute the books early, there seemed to be some level of miscommunication.
He said that the ministry “fixed a schedule and did not consult with the region.” The chairman said too that had there been better coordination there would have been a better way of handling the situation.
According to Baldeo, this is not the first time that such an incident has occurred and “we recommend that it is not repeated in the future.”
