As Guyana’s public service moves toward full digitisation, government has moved to ensure senior citizens are not disadvantaged by the shift, Minister of Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation, Zulfikar Ally has said.
From October 1, all passport appointments will be processed fully online, part of a broader push to modernise government services and cut down on long waits at public offices.
But for elderly citizens who may not be as familiar with digital platforms, Minister Ally said the government has built in safeguards to make sure no one is excluded.
“We’ve addressed this digital exclusion precisely by establishing the decentralised physical service hubs, the integrated service centres,” Minister Ally said during a recent with the Department of Public Information (DPI).
He explained that senior citizens can still visit these centres (government service) in person to access passports, EID cards, birth certificates, and other documents.
The minister added that every Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) now has a help desk staffed by trained personnel who assist senior citizens directly.
“When we go to a fully automated appointment system for passports come October 1st, if a senior citizen needs to renew their passport, they could go to the NDC closest to them, and those persons will be there to help them fill out the applications and book the appointment,” he explained.
Minister Ally said the initiative reflects a broader directive from President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali that no citizen should be excluded from government’s modernisation drive.
“In everything that we do as a government, it is never done to the exclusion of anyone. Our senior citizens, our elders as well, are of course very important to us,” he said.
DPI
