More than 3, 000 bedridden pensioners will now have their pensions delivered to their homes, according to Minister of Human Services & Social Protection, Dr. Vindhya Persaud.
She also announced yesterday that plans are on stream to assist the over 59,000 registered pensioners in Guyana to access their pensions hassle free.
If all goes well, then the long lines at post offices at the beginning of the month may be a thing of the past and pensioners in remote areas will also benefit as there will be mobile spots closer to their communities, saving them having to travel long distances to receive their monies.
And with the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to be a major problem, the Minister during a virtual press conference said that her ministry will be moving to assist frontline workers and members of the Disciplined Services with child care fees. She told reporters that the ministry will make direct payments to licensed child care businesses for children under the age of seven. The application forms will be sent out to the various agencies and these will also be accessed online.
Meantime, Persaud yesterday also encouraged pensioners to make use of the banking system which will see their monies being transferred directly to their bank accounts but she made it clear that this is a voluntary option
And apart from post offices, the Minister said the ministry is exploring the option of using Western Union and Money Gram as payment points for pensioners.
The Minister also said that they will be waiving the requirement for pensioners having to visit the Ministry to verify they are still alive if they did not collect their pensions for three months. She said pensioners who have not accessed their monies since January will now be allowed to access same at their nearest point of payment.
Continuing to focus on the elderly, the minister said that work will be done on the Night Shelter’s physical structure so as to enhance living conditions there. Assistance would be given to ensure that the residents also have easier access to needed medications, as that was one complaint made when she visited the shelter recently. The Minister hopes to reduce the number of persons on the streets by introducing them to comprehensive programmes and the same is planned for those who live at the Hugo Chavez Centre in Berbice.
And the Ministry, which has a representative on the Board of the National Insurance Scheme, will be advocating strongly for better services to be provided by the Scheme to the elderly.
On another issue, the Minister announced that a bill on the combating of trafficking in persons will be introduced to the National Assembly in keeping with international standards and best practices.
Minister Persaud disclosed that there has been a reduction in trafficking-in-person cases and she said Guyana will be aiming to ensure that it maintains its ranking in the annual report released by the US. Her Ministry will also be looking to have the recommendations that fall under its purview implemented. High on the list is looking to see what happens to trafficking victims and to ensure that they are not re-traumatized.
Persaud said her ministry will also be looking to expand the family management programme nationally. Right now it is in five communities and focuses on adults and children. Work is done with the family to help young people who may have gone astray and come into contact with the law to see their potential and work on becoming productive individuals.
The minister also hopes to open child advocacy centres in Regions 8 and 9. At present such centres are in Regions 2, 4, 5, 7 and 10. These centres provide assistance to children and they see child protective services, law enforcement, medical and victim support advocates, and others working in partnership to make decisions about the investigation, treatment, management and prosecution of child abuse cases. They also see an important partnership between the ministry and non-governmental orgainsations.
Under Minister Persaud’s leadership as well the Ministry will be looking to speed up the process for persons accessing public assistance as this has been a burning call for many. The Ministry serves the most vulnerable population yet it can take a long time for some to get assistance even though it might be needed urgently.
And to better assist the populace in these COVID-19 times, the Ministry will soon roll out its virtual health desk to gain feedback from the public and some of the key managers and personnel will be available.
