ST JAMES, Jamaica – The Government will be spending more on social programmes in the next fiscal year, as the most vulnerable and poor must be protected.

This was emphasised by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, at the opening of the new male ward at the Westmoreland Infirmary in Savanna-la-Mar, on April 26.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc and brought untold hardships on the lives of many Jamaicans, especially the less fortunate, and that the Government has an obligation to assist.

“I want to take this opportunity to… commit the Administration to doing more in the next Budget. We have increased this Budget as well, but in the Budget to come we must make a special effort to focus resources on the most vulnerable and the poor,” Holness told the gathering.

“And the reason why I am saying this is that the pandemic has disrupted our trajectory. I don’t believe that the country has fully internalised the effect of the pandemic and that one of the most [telling] impacts of the pandemic is inflation. And the people who are affected most by inflation are the poor,” he added.

The prime minister said the Government has to now deliberately ramp up its funding in support, and “we may have to create” new programmes in order to help the poor recover “their consuming income”, which has been wiped out because of inflation.

“So, your Government is actively thinking about that strategy. And, hopefully, when we come to read our next Budget, we will have some good news about how we’re going to support our most vulnerable who have been impacted… but in tangible ways, not just unconditional cash transfers,” he added.

Holness said there are already several programmes in place to support the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, the elderly and homeless persons who are living on the streets and also the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).

He said the Government will have to take a long hard look at the PATH programme, as there is a feeling out there in communities across the island that there are loopholes that are placing many needy persons at a disadvantage.

“Recently, I was in Manchester and someone came up to me complaining that they went to apply for the PATH programme and they were not successful. There’s a general feeling that some needy persons are not being accommodated and that there are persons on there who should not be on there,” the prime minister added.

He said that while the Government has developed a very robust beneficiary identification system, the sense is that more people who want to be on PATH are not being given the opportunity.

“So, we will have to take a serious look on the PATH programme. I’m reviewing it to ensure that we are identifying the right people, ensuring that they get the benefits,” the prime minister said.

-JIS