Jose Daniel Ramírez

"In Colombia there are many adults who receive a pension. However the application process is not an easy one for those eligible for benefits, especially since those wishing to apply must do so in person, or via a legal representative contracted for this purpose, at the UGPP (Unidad de Gestión Pensional y Parafiscales) office located exclusively in Bogotá. Factors such as the geographical distance separating applicants from the UGPP offices, physical ailments and illnesses, and time constraints are all determining factors for the failure of many eligible citizens to receive the pensions to which they are entitled.

To address this problem, Daniel Ramírez has developed a virtual booth that contributes significantly to removing some of these constraints. The booth, named PAV (abbreviation of the name Virtual Service Point, “Punto de Atención Virtual” in Spanish), allows the user to complete all of the requisite steps of the application process remotely, much to the delight of those eligible to receive pensions from the Colombian government.

This innovative model consists of a booth which contains a desk with video call capabilities, a scanner used to upload documents, a printer, and an identification system used to avoid fraudulent applications.

Currently over 9,000 Colombians have benefitted from Ramirez´s invention, each of whom was able to submit their application in less than 20 minutes, and free of charge. Ramírez aims to create access portals for the complete catalogue of government services to provide easy access to all Colombian citizens, no matter where they reside.