Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall has remarked that the welfare programmes currently being offered by the Guyana Government surpass those of any other country in the western hemisphere and even competes with those available in the United States of America.
“We are the most fortunate generation of Guyanese to have ever lived…,” he expressed during his programme ‘Issues in the News’ on Tuesday evening.
Nandlall was referring to the various non-contributory initiatives in the education, healthcare, social and other sectors of the economy.
Speaking specifically about the education sector, he highlighted the recent announcement by President Dr Irfaan Ali that the government would now stand the cost for up to eight subjects for all students writing Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) or Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).
He also referenced the $50,000 “Because We Care” cash grant initiative as well as the uniform voucher programme, which see every school-aged child benefitting from $55,000 per term.
Only recently, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo announced plans to increase this sum in the coming years.
Nandlall also pointed out that the government is offering free tertiary education as well as thousands of scholarships for citizens to advance their studies.
“I’m saying to you, that there is no other country in the western hemisphere that currently boasts a welfare programme like ours, when one takes into account all the different programmes that we have, in the social sectors in particular,” the Attorney General noted.
He also referenced the $100,000 cash grant per Guyanese adult that was recently distributed, and the $100,000 cash grant initiative for newborns that was launched this year.
While not going into details, Nandlall reminded that there are a number of support programmes in other sectors such as housing and health.
“You take all the programmes into account, it’s a most impressive array of social amelioration programmes which I believe outstrips every such programme of any country on this side of the United States of America. I believe we may be competing with the United States right now, because I don’t think they have non-contributory programmes of the type and of the magnitude that we have in Guyana,” he noted.
In the health sector, among the initiatives being implemented are the $10,000 universal healthcare voucher for every citizen to offset any medical expenses. The government also provides vouchers to offset medical expenses for targeted groups.
For instance, the government offers vouchers eye tests and spectacles for school children as well as pensioners. Those vouchers value $2000 for eye tests and $15,000 for those needing spectacles.
The government also offers $8000 vouchers for cervical screening programme, targeting women between the ages of 21 to 65.
The government also offers financial assistance to dialysis patients through a programme that provides an annual subvention of $600,000 per patient.
Under housing, in addition to the distribution of heavily-subsidised house lots or houses for citizens, the government offers subsidies for steel and cement for low-income families seeking to build their new homes.
The Ministry of Housing and Water also offers home improvement grants through the Home Improvement Subsidy programme, part of the Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP). This programms provides low-income families with up to $500,000 in building materials for repairs and improvements to existing homes, including walls, floors, electrical systems, and sanitation.
The government has also provided significant support for persons with disabilities, pensioners, farmers, indigenous peoples, and many other categories of individuals.
