Anti-poverty Forum worried over rapid increase in inflation that harms poor

Energy subsidies should be means-tested according to the household’s purchasing power with the biggest help offered to the most vulnerable, the Anti-Poverty Forum is proposing.

The proposal is one of several measures the forum is making as it expresses concern over the impact inflation is having on families.

The forum said prices of basic items such as food and medicines have increased rapidly, creating a bigger squeeze on the incomes of vulnerable families.

It proposed that government provide for free the latest medicines put on the market, which are often prescribed by doctors. The forum said more often than not patients entitled to free medicines will end up buying the new medication since these will not yet be available on the government formulary.

“Patients end up buying medications they find difficult to afford and pensioners are the cohort most likely to be impacted in this way,” the forum said.

The forum also called for measures to ensure the effectiveness of social support systems intended to assist those who are at risk of poverty, students and disadvantaged persons, while cutting down abuse. It said these measures should incorporate training and working schemes.

The forum said more educational programmes and campaigns are needed in favour of a decent and healthy living. “This would include wise spending focusing on needs rather than wants and efficient use of resources,” the forum said.

It also called for long-term policies to address poverty before it becomes a normalised way of living.