Social Development Ministry enhances 20 services for greater efficiency
The Ministry of Social Development in Bahrain has upgraded 20 services to improve speed and efficiency, following the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to enhance 500 services across 24 government entities.
Social Development Minister Osama bin Ahmed Khalaf Al Asfoor reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to enhancing the quality and efficiency of government work. He emphasised that these efforts support Bahrain’s comprehensive development process under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the support of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. The ministry’s initiatives are designed to align with national priorities, focusing on positively impacting individuals and the community.
The revamped services include five specifically for people with disabilities, five for families and children, and four for various societal groups, including the elderly. Key services that have been upgraded include requests for assistive devices for people with disabilities, licensing for rehabilitation centres, registration for vocational training courses at social centres, and obtaining assistive devices for the elderly.
In addition, the Ministry has enhanced three services to support NGOs, including signature verification for activating bank accounts. Two services related to financial assistance, such as disability allowance registration and social security enrolment, have also been upgraded. Family counselling services have seen improvements as well.
The service design improvements incorporate digital tools, significantly reducing documentation requirements for 15 services by 50 per cent. Service level agreements for 19 services have been cut by 25pc, and application processes have been streamlined to a maximum of four steps for seven services. Six services have been fully digitised, with standardized information across 17 services, boosting overall efficiency and accessibility.
These enhancements reflect the ministry’s ongoing efforts to leverage technology and innovation to better serve the public, ensuring that government services are more accessible, efficient, and user-friendly.