CATERING for the needs of its elderly and vulnerable sections in society is a pre-requisite of the government, as monthly they are assisted through a pension or other forms of assistance.

On Monday hundreds of pensioners turned up at the different locations around Georgetown and other areas, to uplift their pension books for 2013. This activity is aimed at making it easier for the senior citizens to uplift their booklets as close as possible to their homes and in comfort.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) visited various distribution sites and interacted with the pensioners, many of whom were emotional, as they described the process as a welcoming one, since many of them have no other means of income.
One pensioner, Philip Murray who suffered from a stroke and his wife were thankful for the pension which now stands at $10,000 monthly,  which according to the aunt who is the care giver, assists the couple greatly, as they are unable to earn and has no other form of income.
“I am happy for this pension we receive on a monthly basis….my nephew suffered from a stroke over one year now and I am the sole caregiver for him and his wife and we are very thankful for this money,’ she said.
Carlton Bacchus while expressing gratitude to the government for constantly increasing the pension distributed, explained that it is the only income he receives, since as a fisherman for many years, he paid no NIS, due to not being educated on the need to do so.
He said that while it is the desire of many pensioners for the benefit to increase further, the subsidy he currently receives assists a lot.
The pension distribution, a subsidy which is supplied by the Government, is eagerly awaited by pensioners who depend on it for a livelihood. At present, there about 44,000 pensioners and over 9,000 public assistance beneficiary in the data base, who benefit from a monthly allowance.
The pension books are printed and distributed on an annual basis throughout the 10 Administrative regions, by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.
This exercise has enabled an environment whereby Guyanese 65 years and over to benefit from an Old Age Pension.
Prior, Guyanese had to endure a means test, initiated by the PNCR Administration, which determined who were eligible, despite Guyanese reaching pensionable age.
Mechanisms have been implemented by government over the years, paving the way for pensioners to be exempted from paying for a numbers of services including subsidy for water and electricity.
The subsidy for GWI currently stands at $11,880 annually for customers in Georgetown and $8,976 for customers outside of the city.
Pensioners also benefit from the distribution of free spectacles, under Government’s Eye Care Assistance programme. In 2011, $5.3M was injected to cater for this cause.