Manama, Bahrain - 01 February, 2009: The Ministry of Health in Bahrain recently launched the pre-employment medical checkup for expat workers online. The new eService is available around the clock on the eGovernment Portal, www.bahrain.bh, and comes as part of the Ministry of Health's continuous efforts in elevating the level of its services in line with the Bahrain Vision 2030.

The Ministry of Health's latest offering joins the assortment of eServices available on the eGovernment Portal, which includes checking radiology results status, drugs prices listings, delivery date calculator, checking blood record, body mass index.

The eGovernment Authority, Director of Marketing And Awareness Mr. Isa AbdulRahman said that the eService has gained wide acceptance among the population because it simplifies the booking procedure and its convenience and ease of use,  citing the steady increase in the number of online bookings to date.

Mr. Isa AbdulRahman further explained, "not only is the service very easy to use as compared to the traditional method which requires physically going to the registration centers and fighting traffic, looking for parking, and queuing for long periods of time, but it also offers a number of other special features. For example, users will receive an SMS reminder before the appointment date and have an email with the appointment details delivered to them. The service will even automatically make appointments for two or more workers with a click of a button, and allows users to pay the registration fees electronically right then and there."

In this regard, Health Information Director in the Ministry of Health, Mr. Ibrahim Al Nawakhtha, commented, "the Bahraini health sector is committed to constant development of its service and offering the best possible service to the people. And I believe the eGA National Portal is one of the most important mechanisms of achieving that because it allows us to utilize the time and effort spent on routine procedures in other ways which will improve overall performance and employ the Ministry's resources more effectively."

Al Nawakhtha also revealed that the Ministry of Health will be launching several other eServices on the eGA National Portal, including issuing birth and death certificates, and student and health worker immunizations, among others.

-Ends-

About eGovernment Authority Bahrain
The eGovernment Authority (eGA) was established by Royal Decree 69 in August 2007. Reporting to the Cabinet, the eGA aims to coordinate and execute e-government initiatives in line with the strategies, plans, and programs set by the Supreme Council for Information Communication Technology (SCICT), headed by HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The eGA's role entails everything from proposing overall policies and appropriate legislations to the SCICT for approval to overseeing the execution of the approved SCICT programs. This includes suggesting required IT programs, facilitating communications and services between all government entities, opening new e-channels for e-government services, and offering technical and knowledge-based support to the ministries and other government entities.

Currently, the eGA is working on executing the plans contained within Bahrain's e-government strategy to achieve the ambitious Bahraini e-initiatives, as well as offering 167 basic governmental services electronically via various communication channels within 3 years to all citizens, residents, and businesses of Bahrain.

For further information please contact:
Adel A. Maymoon
eGovernment Authority
Kingdom of Bahrain
Tel +973 17 388322
Fax: +973 17 388338
Email: amaymoon@ega.gov.bh

Kamalakshi Misra
Hill and Knowlton
Tel +973 17533532
Fax: +973 17533370
Email: kamalakshi.misra@hillandknowlton.com.

© Press Release 2009