The Programme for Advancement through Health and Education (PATH) will be re-certifying beneficiaries during this financial year, in keeping with its thrust to improve operational efficiency.

Colette Roberts-Risden, director of Social Security and PATH in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, says the re-certification process is to ensure that persons receiving benefits are still eligible to be on the programme and also to include more beneficiaries.

She says that, while 80 per cent of PATH beneficiaries are from the poorest social quintile, the Ministry wishes to capture more persons who are genuinely in need.

"The re-certification exercise," she stated recently, "is to commence late in this financial year, and we're currently in the process of procuring the firm to undertake the exercise."

Major challenges

She added: "One of our major challenges is to identify those needy persons, who have been excluded fromthe programme. When you look at our 80 per cent [margin] it means that eight out of 10 persons are really in need, but we also know that there are persons who are excluded, who are genuinely in need."

PATH currently has 236,000 beneficiaries, but has the capacity to accommodate 252,000 people.