“Nobody needs to join a line” – Finance Minister tells more than 40,000 NIS pensioners 

…as over 20,000 pensions are being via bank

Over 24,000 persons are currently receiving their monthly National Insurance Scheme (NIS) pensions directly into their bank accounts.
This is according to Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, who on Wednesday disclosed that this figure today is a drastic improvement from the just over 11,000 NIS pensioners who were receiving payments via the bank in December 2020.
“Today, 20,454 NIS pensioners took the bold decisions that they don’t want to join the line to get their pensions. They want their pensions to go straight to their bank account,” he stated.
Dr Singh also pointed out that there are still in excess of 40,000 pensioners who opt to line up every month to collect their payments – a practice he says could be a thing of the past as the Government moves to digitise the scheme.
“Nobody needs to join a line to collect their NIS pension… If you exercise the option of getting your NIS pension paid directly into your bank account, then you simply have to send your life certificate, which you are now able to do via WhatsApp…your pension goes automatically to your bank account [every month],” he stated.
To this end, Minister Singh called on the NIS to aggressively encourage more pensioners to switch their payment method via the banking system, noting that this not only saves them unnecessary travel expenses but also time spent travelling and queuing up for long hours.
“I would like to get to a point where we are paying almost all our pensions directly into their account in [the pensioner’s] interest because it’s far easier and more convenient to do so,” the Finance Minister emphasised.
According to the Finance Minister, this shift aligns with the Guyana Government’s push for financial inclusion for every citizen as the country moves to introduce a host of new digital services, including digital payment services, among others. In fact, he outlined plans to digitise the operations of NIS.
In addition to paying nearly all pensions directly into bank accounts, effort is being undertaken to ensure that persons can fully interact with the scheme digitally in the future.
“You must be able to apply for a registration digitally. If you’re an employer or self-employed person, you must be able to submit your monthly returns digitally. You must be able to pay your contributions digitally. You must be able to check your NIS contribution records from the convenience of your home or anywhere else digitally. You must be able to submit your claims for your benefits digitally, and you must be able to track your claims digitally,” Dr Singh posited.
The Finance Minister noted that these new services are slated to come on stream as early as this year. He pointed out many countries around the world are already doing this, and Guyana is now gearing up to follow suit.
Meanwhile, Singh pointed out that these changes also align with the expectation of the Guyanese public of good quality service being delivered by state agencies. Acknowledging that the scheme interacts mostly with the elderly and persons with medical conditions, the Minister noted it is of even more importance for NIS staff to be sensitive and caring when dealing with these vulnerable members of the public.
“This Government has zero tolerance for service that is not citizen-friendly. Even if you can’t solve the problem on the spot. You are to be as helpful and as compassionate as you can. You are not to be rude and obnoxious or unhelpful. You’re not to push people around… Put yourself in the shoes of that pensioner…that beneficiary or claimant… that bereaved spouse, claiming survivor benefit,” the Minister declared.

Complaints significantly reduced
Nevertheless, while he recognised that complaints relating to NIS have significantly reduced over recent years, the issues plaguing NIS have not been completely eliminated – a goal which they are working towards.
Singh made these remarks on Wednesday at the 57th Anniversary General Assembly of the NIS. During the event, long service awards were handed over to a number of employees.
Additionally, bursary awards were also distributed to children of NIS employees who excelled at this year’s CSEC and CAPE examinations.