Administrative problems continued yesterday in the handing out of pension books with Berbicians lining up for hours only to be told that their documents were inadvertently left at the ministry in Georgetown.

Minister in the Ministry of Human Services, Bibi Shadick yesterday apologised profusely for the mix-up, according to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release.

The new system for pensions inaugurated this week has been plagued by difficulties. Pensioners have waited long hours in the broiling sun at distribution centres without being attended to.

Steps were to be taken to remedy the situation but problems remained yesterday in some areas. This newspaper continued its tour of centres in and around Georgetown and the same complaints and frustration were evident.

Apart from the confusion, some of the social workers complained that since June 2001 they had not received their travelling allowances and they are being made to work in poor conditions with no lunch allowance.

"Right now I am in this room which hasn't a proper chair, the room isn't smelling good and some of the pensioners who are living on the streets aren't smelling well which is a cause of concern to some of the other pensioners", one officer noted.

The officer said despite the many complaints which were made to the ministry most of them still had to work alone at the centres. He said that the new system because of its complexity requires at least ten minutes to deal with one pensioner.

He explained that under the old system, the pension books were prepared two months before the commencement of a new year and as such the pensioners were only required to visit the post offices at their convenience and uplift the book.

According to him, the new system is no different from what is usually required of the social workers but the stress and fatigue that the pensioners have to put up with are too much for them.

The new system was introduced after officials from the Human Services Ministry found the issue list to be padded. According to the officer, in the new system each pensioner will have to visit designated centres in person and will only be issued with a book if they satisfy all the requirements to become an Old Age Pensioner.

He indicated that all of the information contained in the old book is being transferred into the new book and because it contains lots of information the process is slow.

Shadick in the GINA release said that the pension book distribution will continue until the end of March "so persons who were unable to collect theirs for one reason or another have a chance to try again another day". She added that efforts are also being made to have distribution done on weekends "as long as social workers are willing to work".

While the books have to be distributed in person, authorisations can be used for the uplifting of payments. "The person has to be actually seen to get a book but once a book is distributed a payment can be made on an authorization. But every three months the social worker has to actually see the pensioner", Shadick added.

Persons are eligible for Old Age Pension at age 65 and to receive the benefit one has to apply in person with his/her birth certificate and National Identification Card to the Chief Social Worker. An officer of the ministry explained that the Chief Social Worker will further interview the applicant and after three months an approval letter will be issued to him.

"When he/she receives the letter he will then return to the Ministry for another interview and at the same time he will affix his signature on the issue list and then on another form. The applicant is also required to make copies of his birth certificate and his identification card which will be kept at the ministry for future references", the officer said.

According to the GINA release, long lines of persons formed early in Berbice yesterday and up to 3 pm the books had not reached the centres. Shadick told GINA that more distribution centres will be established and announcements will be made by Public Address System and other means. She also said that Minister Dale Bisnauth along with Technical Advisor within the Ministry, Rajendra Bissessar and the local board of guardians will be visiting Berbice today to oversee the process.

Yesterday in Albouystown, the officer there told this newspaper that an aged woman fainted and had to be revived and sent away. According to the officer, the pensioners were made to stand in the sun because there wasn't shelter and as such many of the ailing returned to their homes.

He said that he was working very hard but his operations were halted several times because he was constantly bombarded with complaints from the pensioners and sometimes he had to stop to ensure the line was in order. At the other centres in Georgetown there was some amount of order but the one located at the Night Shelter was very crowded. One old woman complained that she was waiting since 7 am and up to 2 pm she had not been attended to.

The officer there was working with an assistant. She had issued 75 books up to 2 pm yesterday and was eager to complete another 75 before the day ended. At Camptown, Campbellville there was no distribution but at Nigel's Supermarket there was a fair-sized crowd which had the same story to tell.

On the East Coast at La Bonne Intention, the operations there were very smooth. Across at Peter's Hall Village Office on the East Bank Demerara the pensioners assembled from 6 am and up to 2 pm the office was still crowded with pensioners mainly women who were quarelling among themselves.

Responding to the question of why they prefer the old system, most of the pensioners indicated that they were able to uplift their books the said day. One said that at the post offices there are two lines one to uplift the book and the other to collect the payment. The man indicated that there are also resting quarters for them and adequate seating. Besides, one woman pointed out that the old system was faster and one hadn't to wait in very long lines.

"They want to do them own thing and we are punishing. Nobody cares about the old people in this country", the woman complained.