$13.5 billion spent on old age pensioners during first half of 2023

For the past three years, the government has been exponentially pushing to foster investment, development, and transformation in its country while having the well-being of its people remain its number one priority.

As such, the Ministry of Human Service and Social Security has so far expended $13.5 billion on old age pension for the first half of the year, according to the Ministry of Finance’s mid-year report.

Made effective from January 2023, old-age pensioners saw an increase from $28,000 to $33,000 every month. Contrary, in 2021, pensioners received $25,000 which was then increased to $28,000 in 2022.

With this most recent increase, it has since placed an additional $4.4 billion of disposable income in the hands of over 70,000 old-age pensioners.

It is helping these persons to sufficiently provide for themselves, cushioning their daily life expenses.

Additionally, 30,071 elderly persons received subsidised water charges for the first half of the year. This has helped these persons who have a registered Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) account to pay a mere amount on their water bill every month.

Moreover, the report noted that 5,497 elders were given home-based care in Region Two, Three, Four, Six, Nine and Ten for the past six months, while 262 benefitted from free eye tests and spectacles.

To aid in home-keeping, the ministry has since trained some 246 persons to provide various healthcare services to these elderly populations.

As the government continues to improve the facilities for elders, construction of a new physiotherapy room at the Palms Geriatric Home is being built and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023.

These recorded investments were made and announced during this year’s budget which was themed, “Improving lives today, building prosperity for tomorrow.”

It is just the mammoth of measures that the government has been putting in place to fit the comfortability of its elders.