Govt considering home delivery for hinterland regions
Old Age Pension
The Human Services and Social Security Ministry is exploring a number of efficient ways to have old-age pension paid to Guyana’s senior citizens. These include pension payment delivery to over 3000 pensioners who are bedridden and to those living in the Hinterland regions. Also under consideration is direct deposits to pensioners’ bank accounts and the use of alternate payment venues like Western Union and MoneyGram.
File photo: Scores of persons lined up outside the Bourda Post Office, Georgetown, despite social distancing guidelines
This announcement was made on Monday during a virtual press conference held by Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud. According to her, the Ministry is currently considering avenues for making the system of pension delivery better during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, it will be implementing a few more measures in order to make the system of pension payments more efficient so as to ease congestions at the post offices. Presently post offices are the only payment venues, resulting in congestion and little to no adherence to social distancing.
Expounding on the direct pension payments, she explained, “What we doing with that is increasing the access by persons in that area. In other words, it will not only be the post offices. There will be mobile units and more staff from the Ministry so that persons will not have to go long distances to access the payments. So, we are increasing our outreach. Unfortunately, because of the terrain, we cannot deliver directly to each home, even though we will be delivering in the Hinterland to those persons who are shut-in. This is making sure that we are closer in villages so that they do not have to travel long distances.”
Dr Persaud announced that plans are currently in place to have Western Union and MoneyGram locations added to the list of pension payment venues. This, she added, will be done within the quarter of this year. Once they are added, she stated that they will become long-term payment venues since they are easily accessible to the public.
Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud
“We are hoping to have that started within the last quarter of the year. We are going to be in talks with those entities because banks are in specific places, post offices are in specific places. We are looking at other venues that are easily accessible by the public. Western Union and MoneyGram and other similar entities will be approached. In fact, the discussions will happen this week to see if there can be payments [there] in addition to the post offices. [It will be done] in the same manner as at the post offices so that we do not have lines at any one place.”
In an effort to safeguard and protect the elderly, on April 29, 2020, the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) announced early pension payments. The GPOC disclosed that it had implemented a new alphabetised process which will be used only during the first five payment days of the month in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and 10.
Minister Persaud said that this system remains in place. Moreover, she also said that the Ministry has collaborated with the GPOC, the Ministry of Health and several Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to develop appropriate and safe payment procedures for the elderly.
There are currently a little over 59,000 registered pensioners.
