In keeping with Government’s commitment to ensuring that shared governance is practiced in Guyana, and pursuant to its mandate contained in Resolution No. 19 of May 15, 2003, two delegations of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Social Services, on Monday made simultaneous visits to the National Insurance Scheme’s (NIS) Local Offices in Port Mourant and New Amsterdam, Berbice.
Parliamentary sectoral committees are established on the basis of creating a non-partisan approach to governance. The teams comprised former Minister of Government, Indranie Chandarpal and Philomena Sahoye-Shury, and other Members of Parliament that make up the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Social Services, including Shirley Edwards, Latchmin Punalall, Amna Ally, Norman Whittaker and Albert Atkinson, all representatives of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/Civic), the People’s National Congress (PNC) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) political parties.
The primary purposes of the visit were to observe the operational procedures at the NIS local offices, specifically in New Amsterdam and Port Mourant, Berbice, since these offices service a large number of pensioners, 2383 and 3000, respectively.
The MPs interacted with staff and pensioners, an opportunity enhanced by the fact that the first Monday of every month is allocated to the payment of pension vouchers. With the large number of senior citizens gathered, attention was paid to the amount of time allocated to deal with pensioners, accommodation for them and record checks.
They also observed the procedures applied when dealing with the issues of pensioners and claimants, the availability of monies at post offices and the use of birth certificates to verify persons benefiting from public assistance. Discussions were then held with members of staff, pensioners and claimants.
The MPs were assisted through the operations by Michael Patterson, manager of Area 1, consisting of five NIS offices from Mahaicony to Springlands, and manager of the Port Mourant Office, Hulda Chung.
The NIS office at Port Mourant services Albion estate, which has the largest population of workers in Guyana. As a result of this, pensioners begin lining up at 6:00h on payment days.
The Committee observed that there should be a greater awareness by people of the forms of public support available to them and made recommendations to the NIS staff aimed at bringing ease to pensioners. Suggestions included the implementation of a numbering and priority system which gives consideration to the very old, disabled, diabetic, hypertensive and blind.
It was recognized that there is a need to work with staff to ensure that service is better because of the nature of the customer base, many being aged persons collecting Public Assistance and NIS Assistance, also the infirm, disabled and single parents.
At the Port Mourant location, MPs observed that there was adequate seating for the persons gathered, and the benches were cushioned, to provide greater comfort. However, pensioners did indicate that there was a concern over the number of personnel assigned to specific tasks, the most urgent being cashiers, and requested that an additional person be available to assist whenever there are instances of overcrowding.
Management staff continues to oversee operations and make decisions in urgent or emergency situations. Shut-ins are taken care of by nurses and the encashment of vouchers P4 System where pensioners entrust the encashment of vouchers to a specific person.
The staff at Port Mourant highlighted that the major challenge they face in an effort to effectively carry out their duties is a logistical problem directly related to the internal technological database being used. Disruptions in the technological base result in delays.
Members of management maintained that staff competency and productivity would be further enhanced if the computer system was stronger with the addition of more hardware, since the volume of information in the system is great and the current equipment is shared with data entry clerks who use the same computers to document claims. It is important to embrace the computer age since today everything is done online.
MPs observed that the commitment of the staff is laudable. In instances where many people are to be served, cashiers and administrative staff work through their lunch hour to further facilitate those persons in other places of employment who use that period to collect their entitlements. In situations where there is a system failure and a build-up of work, staff members work additional hours, investing time to ensure efficiency in the absence of necessary implements, into the evening and on weekends, to ensure the smooth administration of Government’s services.
Indranie Chandarpal challenged management at Port Mourant to be the first office to provide a light snack or refreshment to pensioners during busy days. The proprietor of Spready’s, a commercial business nearby, comprising a supermarket, restaurant and travel agency, currently assists the office by providing electricity during power outages. A request for assistance from the management could result in a humane gesture that would bring relief to many elderly and sick on payment day. The Parliamentarian highlighted that “people never forget kindness; we should all strive to do better and make another person’s life a little easier.”
At New Amsterdam, it was noted that payment services offered at the post office ease congestion at that area’s NIS office, where the accommodation consists of an internal holding area and a waiting area outside.
However, it was recognized that a larger cashier area which can accommodate more staff during rush periods, is needed, as well as the straddling of working hours so that persons who use lunch period to collect monies are accommodated.
MP Sahoye-Shury observed that Guyanese should develop the habit of monitoring their allowances and contributions prior to when they are of the pensionable age. She also noted that all persons should receive pay stubs or a formal notification, in writing, indicating the amount of contributions made, per pay period.
She encouraged greater awareness and information sharing about work being done at the grassroots level, informing the public of all that is done and the services and facilities available to them.