Bahrain’s efforts to increase the efficiency of public services got a boost yesterday as a new feedback system was launched, a report said.

HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, launched the new suggestions and complaints e-system during a visit to the Health Ministry.

HRH the Crown Prince said he was briefed on a wide-ranging government services available to the public during a series of field visits to various government ministries.

"The feedback from the general public will be one of the main contributors to upgrading government services," he said and added that all complaints must be dealt with promptly to improve public services, in support of His Majesty King Hamad's reform programme, which seeks to improve the living standards for all Bahrainis.

"The new feedback system is also in line with the directives of HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa to provide a unified electronic system for all government ministries to receive feedback from the general public and contribute towards improving public services," he said.

HRH the Crown Prince said the launch of such initiatives reinforce the government's efforts to increase efficiency and the general performance of ministries.

"Identifying and responding to the problems faced by the general public must be a key priority. To achieve this the general public must be able to communicate directly with government officials," he said.

He directed all government ministries to implement the unified suggestions and complaints e-system as quickly as possible to begin direct communication with the public and to increase confidence in the system through greater transparency, speed and efficiency.

The new e-system provides an integrated mechanism for effective communication with the general public. It enables decision-makers to quickly process, analyse and act upon information received.

It also helps in managing complaints and suggestions, in a manner that reflects the priority the government places on feedback from the general public.

The new system will be first rolled out through the eGovernment Authority and the Health Ministry and will gradually be applied across other ministries. The easy-to-use system will be available 24 hours a day through the website bahrain.bh. – TradeArabia News Service