–President Ali reports, says major reductions signal service improvements in Region Seven

PRESIDENT Dr Irfaan Ali, on Monday, reported a sharp reduction in National Insurance Scheme (NIS) complaints in Bartica Region Seven, highlighting the government’s efforts to decentralise key services and address long standing social security challenges.
Addressing residents during a cabinet outreach, the President said the government had significantly cut the backlog of NIS cases since its last visit to the region.
“I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to reduce our NIS complaint from an excess of 600 the last time we were here, to 102 now,” he told the gathering.
Dr Ali further disclosed that NIS officials had committed to resolving almost all of the outstanding matters before the close of the day.
“I have better news as of now. NIS is assuring me that by the end of today, there’ll be only seven complaints remaining to be resolved, because we’ll find solutions for that,” he said, adding: “This is government at work.”
He stressed that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration governs through direct engagement with communities rather than from “a high place”.
“We are a government that is continuously on the ground, continuously mixing… We don’t manage from a high place; we manage from the ground. That is why we’re out here. So we know the challenges and that is why we are addressing these challenges in a direct way,” he said earlier in the engagement.
He added that the administration is now relying on a more systematic approach to monitoring and resolving citizens’ issues, including NIS matters.
“We have a tracking mechanism that is allowing us to track how we’re delivering on these issues. That is why I could give you the numbers for NIS and for everything else,” President Ali explained, adding, “At the end of the day, we want a government that is incredibly responsive to the citizens of Region Seven.”
The government recently began the roll out of the service centres across the country, creating a one-stop shop access to multiple government agencies, decentralised services, improved efficiency and people-centred delivery.
One at Bartica will soon be operationalised.
“So we know the challenges, and that is why we are addressing these challenges in a direct way. We also heard from the communities the challenge of having efficient services by GRA [Guyana Revenue Authority], GRO [General Register Office], immigration offices [and] licensing,” he said, adding:
“We are launching the Government Service Centre. In Region Seven, we will have one such Government Service Centre, where all GRA services, Digital ID services, NIS services, Immigration services, and licensing services will be done right here in Bartica, Region Seven. So, you don’t have to go anywhere. You want your passport, you will go to Bartica. You want your Digital ID, you go there. You want a birth certificate, a death certificate, you go right there.”