Finance Minister Browne promises to inject $10 million into Social Security to bring pension payments up to date

The Browne Administration says it will be injecting more financial resources into the Social Security Scheme in order to bring the payment of benefits up to date.

For several years now, pensioners and other beneficiaries have been unable to get their payments and reimbursements on time, owing to the Scheme’s admitted shortfall in its monthly collections.

In the House of Representatives on Monday, July 11, Finance Minister Gaston Browne promised that his administration will inject a further $10 million into the Scheme to correct the current situation.

With this injection, he claims, all pensions – which, in some cases, are reportedly three months behind – will be made current.

A retired civil servant tells REAL News she watched the parliamentary proceedings and sucked her teeth in response.

“If $10 million is all it would take to fix the pension situation, why haven’t they done it yet?” she asks, reasoning that the sum is not out of the reach of the Administration.

She says she wonders whether the parliamentarians know what it is like to struggle on a small government-pension cheque every month and cross their fingers until Social Security payments are made.

She says the delay in payments “every month that God send” is creating health problems, as well, since she is unable to purchase a certain eye medication that is not supplied by the Medical Benefits Pharmacy.

Accordingly, she is imploring the Finance Minister to “just go ahead and pay in the money, Jack. People out here are suffering! Real suffering!” she declares.