A welcome move to help `shut-ins’

Dear Editor,

It is said that a society is judged by the way it treats with its young and the elderly.

In this regard, the decision by the Ministry of Human Services to arrange for payments of Old Age Pensions to those who are disabled or who are referred to as ‘shut-ins’ is most commendable.

It is pathetic to see people in wheelchairs or otherwise incapacitated having to endure long lines to collect their pensions at Post Offices and other payment outlets. The elderly are much more vulnerable to the Covid-19 virus and every effort should be made by the authorities to minimize the impact of this pandemic.

I encourage the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) to also initiate home payments to pensioners who are bedridden or incapacitated by age.

Yours faithfully,

Hydar Ally