GUYANESE were given yet another opportunity to engage directly with Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, and various department heads during the ministry’s open day on Saturday morning at its Lamaha Street compound. The initiative, she explained, is part of a larger, ongoing mission to meet people where they are and to ensure they receive the assistance they need without bureaucratic hurdles.

Describing the recent open day as “very, very productive,” the minister said that a wide range of issues were addressed during the event and many people were able to contact the relevant ministry personnel and have their challenges resolved immediately.

“There were cases that came in, diverse cases dealing with pension, public assistance, permanent disability, different needs. Sometimes it may be that people got their books but they needed additional support, and so right away we’re able to address it,” Minister Persaud said.

In addition to social assistance, citizens sought urgent intervention regarding matters of childcare and abuse. According to Minister Persaud, this direct engagement model allows individuals to meet one-on-one with her and various department representatives without needing an appointment.

“It’s just a walk-in; we are extending it to the weekend too, because people who are not able to come, maybe they work, they can come and see us.”

The open day brought together a full team from the ministry, including child care officers, the head of pension, public assistance and permanent disability services, senior servers and child protection officers.

“All of these departments are here just to help people,” the minister said, emphasising the convenience of having all support services accessible in one location. “It’s not that they have to go anywhere to get it sorted; they can have it sorted right here.”

Saturday’s session followed a similar event on Thursday, both of which form part of a broader initiative by the ministry that includes either an outreach or open day each week.

Importantly, Minister Persaud made it clear that these efforts are not limited to the capital city or Region Four. Recounting a few of the ministry’s recent outreach activities, she shared that, “It’s in all the regions we are going. We started in 2021, we called it ‘Taking the Services to Communities,’ which we have been doing. And we’ve gone to every single region of the country.”