LOCAL telecommunications giant, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) in giving back amidst the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, has announced that local healthcare workers will get free mobile service.
Nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers will be able to access the service once they get registered with the Guyana Medical Council and the Nurses Association, said CEO of GTT, Justin Nedd during a virtual press briefing, on Wednesday.
Through the service, healthcare workers will receive free data and voice call, said Nedd, adding that those workers will be able to make free calls to not just GTT numbers but to other networks. The service will last until Guyana ends it battle with COVID-19, which has claimed the lives of over 30,000 persons worldwide including three persons locally.
Nedd believes the service is timely because healthcare workers have been on the frontline of the fight against the pandemic. The initiative, he said, is GTT’s way of showing appreciation to those workers. The company is also examining ways to provide free services to healthcare workers.
Customers interested in supporting this initiative could do so by using the MMG Merchant Code 08173. Meanwhile, in ensuring that safety is at the forefront of its operation during this time, GTT has closed its stores and allowed most of its staff to work from home.
“We are taking strict measures because we are very cognizant that we need to provide an essential service,” said Nedd, adding that they, however, have no intention of laying off their staff.
“We are making sure that we pay them most of their salary so that they can continue to buy groceries and so and so that life could go on…we will not put our workers on the unemployment line,” said the CEO.
Nedd had said measures were being put in place to ensure that staff would be retained during the closure, and every effort would be made to accommodate customers through alternative bill payment and customer service options, including the use of the company’s Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) app.
Nedd said, according to a release by the company, that the decision to temporarily close all GTT stores had been taken, in support of the social distancing protocol recommended by global health authorities, as the best way to slow the spread and protect people from Covid-19.
“GTT’s responsibility, and our commitment to customers and staff, mandate us to take this threat very seriously, and to take every action to protect our customers and staff, and Guyana as a whole. Our closure supports the global call for social distancing, and we are encouraging customers to make use of the digital and online options for transactions. There are 220 MMG agents located nationwide; access the one nearest to you as need be, to limit movement,” Nedd said.
“Given the increased human traffic which our stores experience during bill payment and other peak times – and as much as we have been sanitizing and staggering the number of persons entering the stores, we feel that it is our responsibility to take firmer action to our collective benefit at this time, as the pandemic evolves locally,” Nedd stated.
Nedd said safeguarding the jobs of GTT staff, while ensuring a continued high level of service to customers was a key aspect of the Company’s strategic Covid-19 response.
“GTT’s approach to Covid-19 is that we are in this together. We will therefore support our staff through repurposing or redeployment as needed, and we want to ensure that our customers are protected, and not overly inconvenienced by these measures,” he said.
Customers are encouraged to visit https://mmg.gtt.co.gy/agents for a comprehensive list of agents and https://www.gtt.co.gy/notices for more information and updates. A printed, detailed listing would also be made available through the media. Nedd notes also that this month, GTT’s billing will be paperless. The company’s dedicated printer has closed until mid-April as a result of its own COVID-19 measures. Customers are asked to register via https://www.gtt.co.gy/webform/bill-delivery-change-request to receive bills through email.
