The Tribune

THE introduction of pre-paid Visa cards for persons eligible for Social Service benefits was described as “revolutionary” by Social Services Minister Melanie Griffin.

During a visit to Grand Bahama on Monday, the minister said the pre-paid card programme is innovative, and the first phase of the effort to implement safety net reform.

While at a press briefing at the Ministry for Grand Bahama, Mrs Griffin described the introduction of the pre-paid Visa card, which was launched last week in Nassau.

The card will actually take the place of the food coupon, and is being done in conjunction with the Bank of The Bahamas.

The initial launch will take place at the Wulff Road centre in Nassau. In preparation, training sessions for clients, vendors and the staff have been conducted by the staff of Bank of The Bahamas.

“This is a revolutionary event, a new system of delivering service to our people,” she said. “And what it does, first of all, is preserve the dignity of our clients and eliminate the long lines of people coming to receive assistance. At the end of each month, the funds for the coupon will be loaded onto the pre-paid card and it can be used at any vendor that has a Visa credit card system.

“It will be good for the clients, it will preserve their dignity.”

The use of the card gives clients the opportunity to choose how they would like to use their funds, she added.

“It really makes a difference. Sometimes when you purchase all of the food at once and put it in the house, especially if you have a lot of children and they get into it, it’s gone in no time.

“It’s a new paradigm for the vendors. Right now they have to wait for two to three months to be paid. Now, they will be paid through the system within 24 to 48 hours.

“And, of course, the staff will not have to be dealing with that paper intensive food coupon. We hope to be able to eliminate fraud in the system as much as possible. It really is an innovative programme, and it is the first phase as we move to implement our safety net reform.”

Mrs Griffin said after the Wulff Road launch, the programme will move to Fox Hill and then throughout the Family Islands where the Bank of The Bahamas has branches. It was not announced when the card will be issued in Grand Bahama.

She added that the programme is scheduled to begin Friday.

The card’s use will be restricted just for food purchases initially and can not be used in a web shop, liquor store, clothing or a beauty supply store.