Covid-19 relief: Consider elderly, MP urges govt

The Western Uganda representative of older persons in Parliament , Mr Joram Tibasiimwa Ruranga, has asked the government to revisit its mode of selecting Covid-19 relief beneficiaries so that older persons can be included. 

Covid-19 relief package is money set aside by the government for the vulnerable people who have been affected by the lockdown.

On July  7, government launched the disbursement of the Shs100,000 Covid-19 relief cash to vulnerable people who included boda boda riders, saloon operators and taxi drivers.

Mr Tibasiimwa on Tuesday said the people he represents were not included yet they are susceptible to Covid-19 and its devastating impact.

“The ‘Nabbanja money’ which was given to municipalities, the elderly did not appear on the list of beneficiaries, which was quite unfortunate. We have fought and we are still fighting to make sure that they are also included because no one is more vulnerable than the older persons,” Mr Tibasiimwa said.

Issue
He explained that  the looming Covid-19  induced lockdown and its preventive measures have cut off older persons, affecting them economically.

“The elderly people have not been given money for food and they have faced movement restrictions. Some of them would want to get medical services including drugs which are not near. They cannot move to the hospitals. They are badly off, we ask government to reconsider beneficiaries by  including the older persons,” he said.

However, Mr Tibasiimwa urged the elderly to keep vigilant so as to remain safe during and after the lockdown.
“They should keep themselves safe, they should not move out of their homes so they can be safe from the pandemic. I request them to be more vigilant and adhere to the set standard operating procedures,” he said.