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Govt. to reform Board of Guardians for easier access to public assistance
(Kaieteur News) – The Government of Guyana is moving to reform the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s Board of Guardians in an effort to make public assistance more accessible and equitable.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo made this announcement during a press conference on Thursday held at the Arthur Chung Conference Center, where he revealed that funding for the reform will be included in the upcoming national budget.
According to Jagdeo, the reform is intended to address long-standing complaints of exclusion and bias within the current system. Many citizens have reported being unfairly denied access to public assistance due to subjective decisions made by members of the Board of Guardians.
Jagdeo explained that the government’s goal is to establish a more objective and transparent system for determining eligibility, ensuring that all qualified individuals, such as low-income families, single parents, and persons with disabilities, can access the financial help they need without unnecessary hurdles.
“The complaint has been that many people can’t get onto the database because they’re excluded by the Board of Guardians for reasons that are not objective,” Jagdeo stated. “A lot of people complain that the Board of Guardians, ‘oh, they don’t like me. We have a family dispute. That’s why they didn’t put me on the list.’ So, it’s very slow”, Jagdeo sated.
To address these issues, Jagdeo said the government is developing a comprehensive, criteria-based system that will clearly outline the requirements for receiving public assistance. This new system will prevent arbitrary decision-making and ensure that those who meet the established criteria are swiftly added to the assistance database. “So clearly we have to reform the system, and the system is currently being reformed. So if you are a single parent, and you’re a low-income single parent, then you should be able to qualify for benefits once you meet certain metrics, and those metrics will be clearly identified, and then it can be implemented. So if you’re disabled then automatically you should be on the system. You shouldn’t have to run around and somebody in some region telling you can’t get on the list because they can only put limited numbers on this list.” Jagdeo emphasised.
A key step in this reform will be the creation of a national database covering all regions, including Amerindian communities. Jagdeo stated that through system, it will help streamline applications and ensure a fairer distribution of aid across the country. In addition to reforms to the public assistance process, Jagdeo announced that the upcoming budget will also introduce grants to support low-income households. “As we roll the program out in the budget next year, that they can start receiving help, so they may get a grant to assist them with the construction, not to construct the full home, but as we said, assist with the construction, and then also for poor families, home Improvement Grants. So for example, if they have, a leaky roof or anything like that, they can get help from the government to do that.”
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