Clinic transportation for 1st District Seniors to end August 31 – Hon Skelton
He was at the time responding to questions during the continuation of the Eighth Sitting of the Third Session of the Second House of Assembly on Thursday August 14, 2014.
The questions were asked by Honourable Julian Fraser RA (R3) for and on behalf of Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) who was away from the sitting on that day.
“Madam Speaker, given the importance of our seniors and their invaluable contribution to our Territory, could the Minister for Health and Social Development please inform this Honourable House if the First District transportation service of transporting seniors to and from the Capoon’s Bay Clinic will be discontinued? If yes, from what date?” asked Hon Fraser.
In response, Hon Skelton said that the Government continues to honour and resognise the contributions of seniors throughout the Virgin Islands.
He said that through the BVI Health Services Authority they provide an extensive range of health services free of cost to seniors throughout the Territory. In directly addressing the question, the Minister said that they inherited the First District transportation programme that served for a number of years which transported seniors back and forth to the Capoon’s Bay Clinic.
“The programme started in 2010 by the then Minister for Education and Culture [Hon Andrew A. Fahie] at a monthly cost of $950. Funds were transferred in the budget from the Ministry of Education to pay for the programme for one year. The original agreement expired in July 2011 and has continued on a month to month basis since then,” Hon Skelton said.
“Madam Speaker as a Government it is our view that such a service should have been assessed to determine the feasibility of providing it for seniors that have a need for transportation Territory wide and not just for one District,” he said.
“Madam Speaker, the Social Development Department will carry out an assessment of the needs of the seniors who utilize this service to determine how best to address any challenges they may experience and to determine if there is a Territory-wide need for such a service and how best it should be addressed,” he said.
“In the meantime Madam Speaker, the person operating the service has been informed that the present arrangement will be discontinued at the end of August 2014,” Hon Skelton said.
Following up on the questioning, Hon Fraser asked whether the people who use the service have been notified of its pending discontinuation.
In response the Minister said that if there is a need for seniors to get to clinics and hospitals the Social Development Department is now charged with the responsibility “to make sure that wherever seniors are, they could get access to transportation to get to where they need to go.”
He said that the Department has purchased some specialist vehicles so that “we could really look after our seniors in a holistic way and not in a piecemeal fashion. That’s what we are trying to accomplish.” The Minister stated too that the senior citizens who depend on the transportation service in the First District have been notified that it will come to an end at the end of August 2014.
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36 Responses to “Clinic transportation for 1st District Seniors to end August 31 – Hon Skelton”
What does consultants have to do with this. If M..on took education money and allocated it to political supporters you all would cry red so hush. This is not about Fraser or Fahie, it's about right and wrong. You know it's wrong which is why your only rebuttal is with respect to consultants. ALL Governments hire consultants so what are you talking about?
Eil..n
long ago. $950.00 per month for four years and not a mini van? He could have paid $275.00 a month
and three years owned a van.
Now people please stop letting the world know how stupid we are, please.
Look out for 9 districts and not just 1!
It is sicken that only one district was getting this service.
Then VIP bloggers like to talk about NDP cronies getting their bread buttered on both sides!
its amazing how bvi people think, changing a government every four years, this is the only Caribbean country this crap happens, the government cant please everybody, these lazy a.. locals depend of government for everything, they have no idea of the role of the government, if they cant get what they want from the government, the next election they vote against them and the cycle just continues, if you ask me i would say these people has a brain the size of an ostrich brain. LOL
Did you conveniently miss the past about Social Development transporting the elderly to the clinics? LOL. WoW!