The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) will soon roll out a Loyalty Programme that offers pensioners discounts at selected hotels, retail shops, and partner facilities nationwide.

The initiative is part of the Trust’s efforts to enhance the welfare of Pensioners by providing additional benefits beyond monthly pensions.

The Director-General of SSNIT, Mr Kwesi Afreh Biney, announced this during an engagement with pensioners in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital, last Tuesday.

“By simply being an SSNIT pensioner, you receive preferential rates. It is our way of saying thank you as we seek to improve the value proposition of the Scheme”, Mr Afreh Biney said.

He explained that although the loyalty programme falls outside SSNIT’s core mandate, it is intended to add value to Pensioners' lives.

Discussions between SSNIT and relevant stakeholders are already at an advanced stage to ensure the seamless operationalisation of the initiative nationwide.

Over the past decades, SSNIT pensioners have received their monthly pensions on time.

Pensioners have also benefited from healthcare support initiatives facilitated through the Pensioners Medical Scheme (PMS) under the National Pensioners Association.

However, the Trust maintains that more can be done to improve pensioners' welfare.

Beyond the loyalty programme, plans are also underway to introduce telemedicine services for pensioners.

The telemedicine initiative is expected to enable pensioners to consult medical professionals remotely via phone and digital platforms, providing access to medical services.

Pensioners at the event, speaking through the Northern Regional leadership of the NPA, expressed satisfaction with the initiatives underway.

They noted that the programmes would go a long way toward easing financial pressure, improving access to healthcare, and enhancing their overall quality of life.