Ministry of Human Development to Assist Former Foster Mother

Desiree Meggs

The heart-wrenching story of a former employee of the Dorothy Menzies Childcare Center has taken the media by storm. Desiree Meggs is losing her vision and requires urgent medical attention and is also struggling with her daughter to survive the challenging economic times. But Meggs has had trouble with getting her severance and gratuity for the past two years, since she was deemed medically unfit to continue working as a foster mother. The Ministry of Human Development, under whom Meggs was an open vote worker, did process her paperwork, but where did the slip-up happen? Today, the media caught up with Minister Dolores Balderamos-Garcia who says that the case is being rectified.

Dolores Balderamos-Garcia

Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, Minister of Human Development

“I am very sorry about it. I have contacted Miss Meggs already this morning and we are actually going to go and visit her. But I do want to say that I have offered an apology on behalf of the government because wherever the slip up was, I think that because the lady worked for us at Human Development and the Dorothy Menzies Childcare Center, we really should apologise to her and make sure that this is corrected as quickly as possible. Like I say, the mix up happened with some of the paper work not being in order when the paper went from my ministry over to the treasury and then to the public service. So we have to wheel and come again to make sure that everything is in order because she was an open vote worker. So I do accept some of the blame for human development and for that I apologise. But we are working on it today and we will try to sort this out as quickly as possible, certainly within the next three to four days because clearly that should not happen to somebody who is now in dire straits with her loss of sight and other difficulties that she is going through. As a matter of fact, I will make sure that our women and families support department, we will give her an immediate ex-gratia payment to assist her with getting forward and going to the medical support that she will need.”