Andrew
Sunday Mail Reporter
TREASURY has injected $200 million for the welfare of elderly people, as the Government is committed to improving the lives of senior citizens.
According to Section 82 of the Constitution, people over the age of 70 have a “right to receive reasonable care and assistance from the State and to receive financial support by way of social security and welfare”.
Deputy Director for Family and Social Protection in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Mr Totamirepi Tirivavi said Government is pulling out all the stops to ensure senior citizens are not left behind in its programmes.
“As the President is on the drive of leaving no one behind, Government has injected $200 million to help the elderly through different initiatives. This money will go a long way in the payment of their medical bills and for shelter.
“We will be able to pay for the day-to-day running and monitoring of old people’s institutions as well. We also purchase hampers for older persons, both in institutions and those in the community,” he added.
Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare spokesperson Ms Respect Chofamba said, during the Government’s Food Mitigation Programme, households with the elderly are given first priority.
“We are also looking at the possibility of having a non-contributory universal old age pension in Zimbabwe. The ministry has already done a feasibility study in support of the International Labour Organisation. We will definitely engage Treasury on that again,” she said.
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