Dear Editor,
The National Insurance Scheme is an organization which is very important and has some very efficient, competent qualified professional in its employ. But it is also a prime example of an organization which has in its midst some of the most incompetent and arrogant individuals in Guyana. As a senior Manager with over 30 years’ experience some of them would not have lasted three months much less to sit behind their desk for years and be nothing else but nuisances to the public.
In January 2025, I submitted a completed standing order to the National Insurance Scheme to have my monthly payments paid to a particular city bank replacing the one I was using. In early February, before I departed Guyana, I went into NIS enquiring if it was processed and was told that it was and will be effective from February.
Nothing happened in February nor March. At the end of March, I called and was successful in speaking to a young lady who was very courteous and businesslike. She checked and discovered that the Standing Order was not processed and admonished the person for not doing so despite having it on his/her desk since February. An undertaking to have it done the same day was made and I terminated the call after the normal pleasantries.
On April 22nd, I did a Life certificate online and was told that it would have been valid for three (3) months and would be processed accordingly. On May 9th, 2025, I visited the NIS at Brickdam and after waiting approximately 30 minutes, I was told by the attending staff that the Standing Order done in January was entered into the system April 30th, 2025. More than three (3) months after it was submitted.
I requested some form of official confirmation since I was advised on two (2) previous occasions that it was in the system so I have no reason to have confidence in her utterances, she muttered some foolish arrogance to which I advised her was unacceptable.
I requested to see the relevant Manager who was very prompt in responding. She spoke with me and confirmed that indeed the entry was made on April 30th and apologized for such a long delay. When I enquired about the Life Certificate that was done on April the 22nd, I discovered that as at May 9th, it was not in the system and she immediately took appropriate action to have that situation corrected.
Incredibly, as a consequence of my further enquiries, I made another startling discovery which can best described as ludicrous. I was told that NIS did not make future payments for eligible persons residing overseas and that for these persons to have their NIS payments into their account monthly, they would have to complete a Life Certificate every month before the 10th.
Now I was told whilst waiting to see the clerk, as well as three other overseas based Guyanese, that Life Certificate for overseas based Guyanese was valid for three months while for Guyanese residents it was six months.
And to make matters worse, I discovered on Wednesday 15th May that my sister’s Life Certificate which was submitted on January 29th, 2025 was also not in the system. When I produced a copy of the Life Certificate, no proper explanation was given except to say the Camp Street, Georgetown office did it and it was not sent to Brickdam to be processed. In fact, it is my understanding that Life Certificates done to the number in the Camp Street office takes ages to be sent across to the Brickdam office to be processed. My sister has not received her NIS payment from since November 2024.
Now I am acutely aware that there are a large number of overseas based Guyanese and the work load can be tremendous, but that is not an excuse for the level of incompetence on display here. It is clearly a combination of incompetent staff and poor management from the standpoint that adequate measures have not been taken to arrest a situation which is obviously beyond the capacity of the individuals currently operating in the relevant department.
If the volume is beyond the capacity of the current department, then it is incumbent upon management to take necessary action to alleviate the bottle neck and allocate resources to relieve the situation so that persons who have paid their NIS for years can be able to receive their monies without the unnecessary hassle.
What is the use you have an efficient system for doing the Life Certificates and the process of recording it is highly inefficient? What sense does it make?
NIS problem is a management problem. Top Management has to take responsibility for this nonsense. There is a management function called “Controlling” and if it that was being carried out the areas that need additional resources would have been identified and the inefficiencies corrected. But on the contrary, you get the distinct impression that it is just left there to continue until it collapses then action will be taken to the great inconvenience of the public.
This NIS story is good for a comedy but it is very disgusting and embarrassing for an organization and the nation. From taking four months to process a Standing Order, five months and counting to process a Life Certificate to misleading the public of the span of Life Certificate for overseas based Guyanese, I will add arrogance and incompetence by a few for good measure.
That these things are happening is unacceptable. NIS can start by fixing the Camp Street bottle neck and establish/ implement a proper Performance Appraisal System which should be used to justify promotion and salary increases. Across the board increases encourages laziness and incompetence of those so inclined and demotivates the hard working and efficient staff within the system.
To have these inefficiencies continue unaddressed is an indictment against management and they need to be addressed with alacrity.
Yours truly
Eric Whaul
