NIS banking on Service

The National Insurance Services staged its 9th annual Pensioners’ Appreciation Day on August 4th, 2004. The Prime Minister and other Government officials, members of the NIS board and the general public gathered at the NIS office to celebrate with our senior citizens. The NIS saluted these persons as the foundation builders of the social security programme.{{more}}

The main speaker of the event was the Prime Minister, Honourable Dr. Ralph Gonsalves. He recognized the significant contribution made by the pensioners and informed the gathering about his Government’s initiatives in assisting the poor and elderly of this country, such as the extension of the Non-contributory Assistance Age Pension (NAAP) to the banana farmers, and the Government’s contribution towards the Golden Age Activity Centers. The Prime Minister also expressed his appreciation to the NIS Board and staff for their hard work and encouraged us to continue to work towards bridging the gap so that social inclusion for all can become a reality.

Special remarks were also made by Mr. Lennox Bowman, Chairman of the National Insurance Board. He commended the pensioners for their hard work, and their attributes of dignity, professionalism, loyalty and devotion. Mr. Bowman also informed the gathering about the NIS plans to extend the self-employed coverage to sailors and to contribute funds towards tertiary education in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Executive Director, also speaking at this function, reassured the pensioners that the NIS will continue to heighten its efforts towards ensuring that their needs are met.

This event was also used to unveil the NIS new name, creed vision and charter. The institution’s name was officially changed to National Insurance Services. This name was chosen because it is felt that the institution is all about services, and that it’s a better reflection of our values and intentions as emphasized in the new mission statement, vision statement, creed, and customer charter. Adding to this, the Prime Minister stated that the change is necessary since the word “scheme” in the Caribbean is associated with unsavory terms such as trickery and fraud.

Mr. Sebastian “Bassy” Alexander, speaking on behalf of the pensioners, expressed his gratitude and delight for the pension and service that they receive from the NIS. He also appealed to the younger generation to become active members of social security programme so that they too can be covered under the NIS safety net. Mr. Leroy Wilson and Ricardo Mc Donald, NIS pensioners, entertained the audience with their musical renditions.

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Girlyn Miguel, acting on behalf of the Prime Minister, presented pension cheuques and tokens of appreciation to three pensioners: Stephanie Bowman, Fitzroy Goddard and Reginald Howard.