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Following the Directives of HRH the Crown Prince:
AlQaed: 'Tawasul' System Contributed in Setting Drastic Solutions to Develop Government Performance
In 2016: More than 13,000 cases to government entities via Tawasul.. 94% completed within the given period of time
Cases are sent via the application in 30 seconds only
'Industry & Commerce' offers Sijili system to issue CRs without the need of a shop
'eGovernment' issues an ID card for GCC-nationality residents & investors
Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain – Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) Chief Executive Mr. Mohammed Ali AlQaed stated that the number of received cases via the National Suggestions & Complaints System ‘Tawasul’ in 2016 have exceeded 13,000 of which 94% were completed within the given period of time. The speed of response and interaction the system meets from government entities and users makes it one of the main channels that contribute to the development of government performance following the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister.
AlQaed explained that the vital role played by the system in the field of advancing government work comes in line with the direct response of cases by the ‘Individual’ segment. In regards to repetitive cases and complaints, a dedicated team is assigned to study the current situation then look into opportunities for improvements according to the best international practices which are usually through Business Process Re-Engineering for some of the services; and the reduction of a number of procedures required by the citizen to carry-out and benefit from the service. Consequently, this saves time, effort and money as well as setting radical solutions which ensure that procedures are simplified and promptly completed. The system has also contributed in developing various government services as well as creating constructive competitiveness amongst them with the purpose of reaching high levels of excellence in what they present.
Among the most prominent examples; Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism which updated the ‘Sijili’ system to issue Commercial Registrations (CRs) without the need to own a shop - given the large received comments via the system on this issue. The ministry also issued a resolution of banning network and pyramid-shaped marketing in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Such resolution was due to a series of enquiries received through Tawasul. Moreover, the ministry was keen to improve the Sijilat system to issue business licenses and CRs by adding a specific period of time for each entity to provide its approval to issue the CR; this was a result of receiving a set of comments and complaints on this matter by Tawasul.
Following the receiving of comments by the system, the Ministry of Housing was able to respond to a number of complaints associated with maintenance of housing projects in numerous areas of the Kingdom. Additionally, the decision on resolving many legal violations and take necessary procedures following the conduction of field visits that some complaints required. The system contributed in studying several difficult cases and directly interact with them in order to take the right decisions. Tawasul has also contributed in answering citizen’s concerns and queries – such contribution saves the citizen time and effort through the effective use of an alternative and very easy mean to save the trouble of personally attending the ministry’s premises. Users were also notified of the status of their housing request; moreover, numerous housing services were allocated such as the housing units, financing along with the program ‘Mazaya’ based on what has been received through the system. Several personal interviews were conducted between citizens and the senior management at the ministry – such moves enhanced the communication channels amongst both parties in a flexible effective manner.
The Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning monitored a high percentage of excavation maintenance and road potholes complaints. Following the receiving of these complaints, the ministry coordinated to reduce these complaints and take prompt actions to address them. Furthermore, arranged with government service entities to speed-up the process of filling the potholes in sites of other service entities.
The Information & eGovernment Authority issued a circular to offices specialized in issuing IDs and all relevant government entities to issue IDs for GCC-nationality residents and investors in Bahrain. This was an outcome of receiving several repetitive comments and complaints via Tawasul on this issue. The authority also initiated postal reference number feature due to receiving many cases on Tawasul registered for not receiving their packages by post, the new feature was applied on all related services, such as the ‘Request for Birth Certificate’ eService; General Directorate of Traffic services like the driver’s licenses and vehicles registration; together with validating qualifications and other services.
As part of the initiative to accelerate the eTransformation process and link the government entities, the mobile application ‘Tawasul’ was developed to become a communication tool that delivers citizens’ suggestions and complaints to such entities. Such development comes in coincidence with the current trend of moving towards mobile apps, as the app possesses a variety of new features compared to its version available on the website; some of which include its swiftness in sending comments within 30 seconds, given that a user account is created to store user’s personal information in order to avoid the repetitive entries in the future. Moreover, the app provides a camera feature to capture or upload documents and reports for attachment purposes. Also, the user can immediately report public damages via the Fix2Go feature which is connected to concerned entities, together with the notifications feature of received responses.
Until today, 26 governmental entities benefit from the system. Those interested in communicating with these entities may visit bahrain.bh/tawasul or upload the Tawasul application via bahrain.bh/apps.
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For further information please contact:
Sahayer Ebrahim Al Hashimi
Informatics & eGovernment Authority
Kingdom of Bahrain
Tel: (+973) 17 388252
Mobile: (+973) 36395536
Fax: (+973) 17 388338
Email: media@iga.gov.bh
© Press Release 2017
