Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Test
Test
Test
22 eInitiatives
The National Program National Health Information System (I-Seha)
24 eGA
Working groups discuss the National eGovernment Strategy 2016
28 eStudies
The Impact of Social Networks on Bahraini Youth
30 eGlobal
My Street Portal (Fix my Street) An example of eParticipation from Portugal
With People-Driven Focus, the New eGovernmenet Strategy 2016 Sets Specific Goals
www.emagazine.gov.bh
Magazine
www.emagazine.gov.bh
Magazine
First Word
One finding from the United Nations E-Government Survey 2012 that attracts the observers attention stated that: Bahrain is a leader in Western Asia in the field of eServices, particularly the UN Report is a reliable global source that benchmarks the levels of the eGovernment progress in 190 countries. Expressly, Bahrains was ranked up by one position in 2012 eServices Index (globally seventh in 2010) is a testimony of the eServices development and eGovernment readiness for the next leap to leverage eGovernment to better serve the public. Virtually, the next generation of eGovernment has started with the launch of the National eGovernment Strategy 2016 that was announced during the
opening ceremony of Bahrain International eGovernment Forum 2012 by H.H. Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology (SCICT). Thus, in line with the Bahrain Vision 2030 the New Strategy is aiming at a better future for high-quality services and enhanced eGovernment channels, customer satisfaction and eParticipation. The strategic objectives of the National eGovernment Strategy 2016 embrace over 90 ambitious initiatives, including the recently-launched eKey system which makes Bahrain the leading initiator in the region to set-up an electronic authentication system.
At the global level, as this issue of eMagazine is being published, Bahrain has been announced as the first place winner of the 2012 United Nations Public Service Awards for its Integrated Workflow Management System (Zajel) - an innovative system that supports and streamlines communication between the Parliament and the government. Receiving such prestigious international recognition of excellence by the eGovernment Authority Chief Executive Officer at the United Nation headquarters in New York is yet another evidence that Bahrain eGovernment program is well on the right track towards a better future to achieve next generation government excellence.
10
27 ePointers
eGovernment Portal Statistics
08 Cover Story
With People- Driven Focus, eGov Strategy 2016 Sets Specific Goals
28 eStudies
The Impact of Social Networks on Bahraini Youth
10 eMaker
Ahmed AlMutaweh, Director of IT Directorate at the CSB talks to
30 eGlobal
My Street Portal (Fix my Street) An eParticipation example, Portugal
30
13 eMaker
Municipalities leaders meet with
32 eServices
Central Informatics and Communications Organization Bahrain Petroleum Company Bahrain Internet Society Almoayyed Computers
19 ePartner
Dr. Jeongwon Yoon Executive Director of NISA, Korea
22 eInitiatives
eMagazine is published by the eGovernment Authority, Kingdom of Bahrain Licensed by Ministry of Information: MCIO 767 For communication & Advertisement, please contact us on: Tel: +973 17 388 388 Fax: +973 17 388 338 P.O. Box: 75533, Manama, Bahrain eMail: contact@emagazine.gov.bh Website: www.emagazine.gov.bh All copyrights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the publisher. Designed and Produced by Waves Advertising Tel: +973 17 324882, Fax: +973 17 324 889 eMail: studio1@wavesgulf.com
34 Upcoming Events
USA Sri Lanka Cyprus UAE
24 eGA
Working groups discuss the National eGovernment Strategy 2016
36 How to e
Civil Service Employee Services
26 eJargon
Computer forensics vs. Cyber forensics Single sign-on
Mr. Ubaidly Al Ubaidly Dr. Zakaria Ahmed Dr. Yousif Al Bastaki Mr. Khalid Al Bastaki
www.emagazine.gov.bh
1
Dubai. to source Global PR Network.
Magazine
Windows 8
Microsoft has previously released the beta version but promises many other features and better security than the previous versions. Since a lot of work needs to be done on Windows 8 - as beta testers have reported numerous bugs and issues in the beta version - users should expect Windows 8 in the markets by the end of 2012. Nevertheless, the next version of Windows offers a number of state-of-the-art tools and features in storage, user interface and many more. On another side, Microsoft seeks its share as a very competitive party in Windows 8 tablets market through competition with Apples iPad and Amazons Kindle Fire devices which are the best choices for people, both in price and acceptable quality. It is hard to predict how Microsoft tablets can gain market share while providing comparable acceptability and broader range of applications, yet at a competitive price.
www.emagazine.gov.bh
Cover Story
Small in size, big in ambitions; the Kingdom of Bahrain has not only surprised but impressed many with its recent country advancements and rapid modern technological changes. The country developed its first National eGovernment Strategy, covering the period of 20072010, with the aim to bring the government closer to its people by interacting with the government via eChannels that are accessible to all. To contribute to the new Economic Vision 2030 and fulfillment of the Government Action Plan, a new National eGovernment Strategy 2016 was created and shaped for every resident every age, gender and nationality. The clearly-defined strategy has been designed by the eGovernment Authority (eGA) to help build upon what the authority have already achieved and take the country forward in order to meet the challenges of the future.
With PeopleDriven Focus, the New eGovernment Strategy 2016 Sets Specific Goals
Magazine
eGA promises that it will do more than just improve services, save costs, make work processes more efficient, and improve userexperiences with the government. It will also make communication between citizens, businesses and the government more transparent, and open-up new possibilities for the way information is presented and accessed. One of the most important promises is that it offers more opportunities to engage and interact with the government through social networks, blogs and other online channels - to do that, the new custom-made strategy aims for an ambitious yet achievable target. An array of key objectives has been developed directing various stakeholder groups and catering to their needs and preferences. ADVANCE is the new eGovernment vision that gathers all these objectives to assist in implementing the new strategy and make it a reality.
nationals on IT/eGovernment foundational topics. Other objectives also consist heightened protection of information and user rights; comprehensive and effectively managed quality service offering which involves all governmental service information available online as well as the annual deployment of 40 eServices. Furthermore, enhancement of eGovernment channels and user experience through 10 new mobile apps annually developed for top three mobile application stores, three eGovernment channels significantly upgraded and integrated, as well as 20 additional services delivered through the National Contact Centre annually. Additional objectives also include greater innovation and entrepreneurship by having five apps developed based on open data. eGA promises that customer engagement and eParticipation will be essential in the country and given particular focus. Clients will be able to participate in shaping eServices and granted to voice their opinions and preferences. The authority assures that it will proactively cater to the needs of customers and businesses as eGovernment services are designed to contribute in all stages of an individuals life. To bridge the gap between the current and targeted states, more than 90 projects across environment, readiness and usage dimensions have been designed to provide benefits such as the enhancements of the eGovernment portal, mobile channel, contact center and service kiosks. The challenging yet attainable goals will lead the Kingdom to transcend its global position on the road towards leaving an unquestionable stamp in the field of ICT, and becomes an example to learn from and followed by several countries. The newly-released strategy is thoroughly custom-made to suit Bahrains fresh ICT environment.
Citizens, residents and visitors along with governmental entities and employees; business employees and enterprises all play the role of being the core of ADVANCE vision. They are also the targeted beneficiaries to the eGovernments mission and objectives. Some of the key objectives include: increase society participation and engagement where 50% of governmental entities would interact with clients on a weekly basis through social networks (Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.); improve national eLiteracy and government IT skills which involves the annual training of 5,000
www.emagazine.gov.bh
eMaker
Ahmed AlMutaweh, Director of Information Systems Directorate at the Civil Service Bureau talks to
What are the key eServices launched by the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) through the eGovernment national portal? And what technology and tools are being used in this regard?
The key eService that we currently offer is the Pay Slip, which is a work-base application pay slip that uses chronicle databases linked to every employee record and data. Employees are able to view their last months pay slip along with slips of the three previous years. They also have the option to compare past salaries, review their loan debts and loan delays. Instead of going through HR, the information is available through the portal for their convenience to obtain such data by accessing the portal. As for reviewing personal information, employees may check their record, grade, previous positions via the national portal which is offered to every government employee who is registered with the CSB.
After the launch of the Pay Slip and job-related data services through the eGovernment portal, how do you evaluate the civil service employees feedback and what are the practical and environmental impacts of such services?
When we launched the services at the beginning, we found some resistance as people tend to go for the paperwork process there were certain issues to be dealt, but that changed when people saw how easy it was to access the system and understood how to log in. At present, more than 31,000 employees access the portal compared to 8,000 before launching the service through the portal. In terms of impact, cost-wise, the service brought great benefits. Previously, costs were spent on printing 45,000 pay slips in a period of three continuous days, plus costs of manpower and transportation in distributing out to ministries. Presently, this
Magazine
10
03. eMaker
We are working with eGA to integrate CSBs services within the newly launched eKey system to improve our services.
figure dropped to 6,000 pay slips within a period of two hours. These slips are accounts of the low-graded employees, for instance messengers or drivers who have no access to the internet; however, we are targeting these employees to try the service.
recruitment services and changing personal information. The latter online service involves checking, modifying or renewing bank account, passport, name and address. The services are easy to access and straight-forward. The Salary Certificate service that we are currently working on dramatically reduces the workload on the Human Resource department employees and release employees from requesting the certificate from the department. Instead, they may obtain it by a message that is transferred to their mobile which they may use when completing transactions in banks or organizations. The individual or entity may also request it from the portal, view the certificate in the system and print it. In regards to recruitment, the government can advertise through the eGovernment portal and applicants may apply for the vacancies as candidates. The system will automatically filter the applicants and accept the qualified applications appropriate for the vacant position. We will have a complete system for recruitment which involves the process of collaborating with the Interior and Education Ministry. In terms of near future services, for employees who have no access to the internet, they have the option of printing their pay slips through kiosk machines. The level of cooperation with the eGovernment Authority is very high, as the previous three/four years we worked on many successful projects. Another initiative will involve using mobile technology in sending messages or applications on monthly basis by sending pay slip information as soon as it is released, this will be especially beneficial for those who are not registered in an account or are interested to know their salary payment. The service will be implemented within this year and will certainly improve services. Next year will embrace the self-service which provides employees the choice of applying their annual leave days or sick leaves from home without waiting to return to work to submit them. We currently have the service via the Government Data Network, which is a local network that links the entire governmental bodies; hence employees working for the government can apply through the process.
What about the efforts of circulating the Pay Slip service across various government ministries and entities under CSB?
We are working with the eGovernment Authority to integrate some of our services within the eKey System that has been launched by the authority, in order to improve the services. We also plan to have a joint campaign with the authority to pass the process to all governments in order to enhance the usability of eKey for them; such an initiative will be implemented within this year.
Given the size and importance of the civil service sector, are there any challenges during the launch, implementation or circulation of the Pay Slip service? and what are the cautions you take into consideration when launching eServices to employees?
When we first launched the service, we found some resistance as people tend to go for the paperwork process but when employees started using the service, they noticed its benefits. Today, the civil service sector comprises 45,000 governmental employees in the entire country; however, after the issuance of Law No (48) of 2010, all semi-government entities - such as the eGovernment Authority, LMRA, BIPA, and many others - have become under the umbrella of CSB, therefore the total number of employees is expected to reach 65,000 (within this year only). Pay Slips security measures (via the portal) is very high and does not allow an unauthorized individual to access the data of another persons account as it is completely personalized.
Do you have any future plans to develop new services for civil service employees through the eGovernment portal, and how do you see the cooperation between CSB and the eGovernment Authority?
We started with the Pay Slip services and soon there will be three more to come. Such services include bank and salary certificates,
www.emagazine.gov.bh
11
Magazine
12
4
Mr. Saleh bin Ibrahim Al-Fadhala
Director General, Southern Area Municipality
eMaker
Different aspects of the municipal work in the Kingdom have witnessed a remarkable improvement under the leadership of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Dr. Jumaa Al Kaabi. Despite having a wide range of activities within the community, municipalities have improved municipal service delivery through the national portal (Bahrain.bh) and the Ministrys website.
In an inclusive interview, Directors General of Manama, Central and Southern Municipalities shed lights on key eServices and future projects..
The current key municipal eServices. The directors general of Manama, Central and Southern areas municipalities pointed out that the website of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs links all the municipalities, municipal councils, other units within the ministry and also provides a number of eServices and news of all municipal activities. In the meantime, some municipalities have already launched their websites while other municipal websites are under construction.
Currently, the ministrys website provides various services comprising: Apply for Building Permits, Issue of Advertisement Permits, Unit Maintenance Request, Housing Services Eligibility Criteria, and Municipal Land for Investors, Geoexplorer, ePayment for services related to commercial registration, opened tenders, along numerous other services.
www.emagazine.gov.bh
13
Follow us on Facebook
Central Municipality
Magazine
14
04. eMaker
The eGovernment program has made communication with government easier than ever before for citizens and enabled them to perform services electronically through the national eGovernment portal and the Ministry of Municipalities website.
Mr. Saleh bin Ibrahim Al-Fadhala, Director General, Southern Area Municipality
Regarding municipalities orientation to improve communication with public through social networks, Director General of Manama Municipality Engineer Shaikh Mohammad bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa noted: there are apparent efforts being exerted to keep up with new changes as we are working to promote and activate communication with the public. He further stressed the municipal role in raising awareness through social networking sites which have importantly become the fastest way to communicate with people, inform and educate them about municipal services and authorities and disseminate environmental awareness and instill the concept of commitment and responsibility for all society groups. Engineer Shaikh Mohammad bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa confirmed the keenness of Manama Municipality to communicate its news and awareness activities to the community through the municipality website (manama.mun.gov.bh) and its accounts in Facebook, Twitter, Flicker and You-Tube. This keeps the public well-informed about the guidelines on how to care for hygiene and environmental conservation of parks and other national gains, achieve sustainable urban development, inspire public engagement and social responsibility, as well as create broad national awareness of services and projects provided by Manama Municipality through the deployment of current municipal activities, he added. In his turn, Director General of Central Area Municipality Dr Mohammad Ali Hassan stressed the importance of communication as he said: It is useful to employ the social networking space in order to inform people about the events and activities organized by municipalities; it can also be an effective medium to receive complaints from citizens and update them on any action taken in this regard. This gives citizens the feeling of being closer to the municipality and that it cares for their needs and to make their life easier. He noted the possibility of employing social networking sites to announce an annual event calendar relating to planting, national celebrations such as the anniversary of the National Charter, the National Day; he pointed out that the Central Area Municipality pays great attention to these events through its Facebook account.
In the same context, Director General Southern Area Municipality Mr. Saleh bin Ibrahim Al-Fadhala said: No doubt technology contributes to linking all entities electronically and preforming transactions easily and conveniently over the Internet from home without the burden of travelling from one entity to another in order to complete procedures. Mr. Saleh bin Ibrahim Al-Fadhala illuminated that the Southern Area Municipality web site is under update. Currently, we continuously upload the municipalitys news on the Ministrys home-page in a scrolling space. With regard to the social networking channels he said: We believe that our proposal to link out the Municipality website to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter will undoubtedly strengthen the electronic link with the public and facilitate the process of communication, in terms of receiving feedbacks, proposals, complaints and allows us to take action as fast as possible. In an answer to a question about the quality of services, Director General of Central Municipality Dr Mohammad Ali Hassan confirmed that the development of an online complaint service on the eGovernment portal will devise a mechanism to receive suggestions and opinions from the public, as well as track and manage the feedback electronically. He further elaborated: Within the execution of the national excellence program, in collaboration with Bahrain Excellence Center, the Ministry gives high consideration to handling complaints and measuring customer satisfaction, at all levels and in the operations under its mandate. The provision of an online link that enables customers to post proposals and complaints and follow up progress of complaint through a tracking ID, that adds a positive move to improve the quality of services provided by municipalities to the public. Commenting on customers feedback, Director General of Manama Municipality Engineer Shailkh Mohammad bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa said, Some specific services on the portal such as Building Permits and Advertisement Permits receive high
www.emagazine.gov.bh
15
Follow us on Facebook
prsouth@mun.gov.bh : : Magazine 16 39641880 :
Southmun_bh :
17761327 :
04. eMaker
It is a pleasure to provide services for Bahraini citizens in collaboration with eGA being the developer of the national portal which is the umbrella for various government websites. Dr Mohammad Ali Hassan, Director General, Central Municipality
The municipalities strive to develop their online services for the benefit of public and provide users the necessary tools to access and track transactions anytime, anywhere. Engineer Shailkh Mohammad bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, Director General of Manama Municipality
he suggested the launch of special system to facilitate the approval process for building permits, corner plots sale and contracts In evaluation the eGovernment Authoritys role as a strategic partner for municipalities and ways of cooptation to develop services, Mr. Saleh Al-Fadhala continued saying: The national eGovernment portal has made communication with government easier for citizens than ever before for citizens who can also perform services electronically through the Ministry of Municipalities website. Director General of Central Area Municipality Engineer Dr Mohammad Ali Hassan also added: Without doubt the eGovernment Authority has qualified specialists and experts and we can utilize such expertise to develop an effective website for the municipality with useful sections and links, particularly the eGovernment Authority administers the portal which the umbrella for all governmental ministries and entities websites. Therefore, it is a pleasure to continue such cooperation with the authority in order to launch a useful website for the Central Municipality in order to eliminate burden on users and provide them convenient and easy services. Director General of Manama Municipality Shailkh Mohammad bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa added that: the eGovernment portal is the main gateway for the municipal services where all eServices are available at a one-stop-shop which facilitates customers access to the required services and become informed of the related requirements and procedures. Municipalities are committed to develop Bahraini skills Municipalities Directors General assured that the municipalities are committed to develop Bahraini competencies that are in line with the strategic vision which aims at developing the administrative performance within the continuous efforts of the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning in order to develop and qualify human resources through specialized training programs and allocate financial resources to improve performance.
appreciation from users / engineering offices. In order to enhance service provision, Manama Municipality will hire specialists to improve and advance communication with the public and utilize up-to-date technology. Future projects a web site for each municipality The three directors unveiled a number of municipal projects which are underway. Dr Mohammad Ali Hassan elucidated; Developed by the Central Municipality, Enmaa project is one of the most important projects that seek to achieve palpable progress in municipal initiatives. Enmaa includes activities such as tree planting, city beautification, building new parks and crossings for pedestrians, fountains, and memorial sculptures. Notably, Manama Municipality which has its own website (manama.mun.gov.bh) informs the community with relative news and awareness activities carried out by Manama Municipality. Meanwhile, the Southern Area Municipality is on the process of launching an effective website, in coordination with the ministrys Information System Directorate. The website will be integrated and linked out to social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Based on the plan declared by the Director General, the Southern Area Municipality has initiated prearrangement with advertising companies for online offerings, in addition to opening opportunities for employees to get special services and offerings by coordinating with key businesses, such as Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea & Spa and Durrat Al Bahrain. Director General of Central Area Municipality Dr Mohammad Ali Hassan also revealed that the Central Municipality will shortly launch its own website. We set a proposal to develop a website that will be interactive, comprehensive in content and informative for users. The development of the website will commence soon, he declared. In the context of upcoming projects, Director General of Manama Municipality Engineer Shailkh Mohammad bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa pointed out the ePayment system will be adopted for online Building Permits service and eKoisks will be stationed in a number of locations to enhance municipal services usability; in the meantime,
www.emagazine.gov.bh
17
Magazine
18
ePartner Dr. Jeongwon Yoon, Executive Director of the National Information Society Agency in Korea talks to
Holding a BS and MS degrees in Computer Engineering, Dr. Yoon also owns a Ph.D. in Information Management. During his 18+ years of experience as an Executive Director of the National Information Society Agency in Korea, he assisted more than 40 developing countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East in the fields of eGovernment, Public-Private Sector Promotion and various ICT pilot projects. He also successfully launched ICT cooperation centers in Mexico, Chile, Bulgaria, South Africa, Vietnam and Turkey, jointly with each country government.
Why is Korea number one in eGovernment globally? What are the reasons for such an achievement?
Since Korea has no natural resources, we needed to set-up a national development plan, IT was one of the development areas that we started to invest in. Beginning of 1980s, only six countries manufactured telephone devices so Korea decided to produce the electronic switching device which was one of its biggest projects. Since 1988 embodied the Olympic Games, the government decided to develop information system sector which led to the establishment of our agency (NISA) in 1986. From 1995 until today, we invested over US$26 billion to develop the fastest network. Our broadband service speed is 100 megabytes per second and were in the process of upgrading it to 1 gigabyte and we are also bringing-in PolyGram to double the high-definition to look like 3D to push innovation in display and give impact to eLearning, universities, households, and develop eGovernment services. We had transparency problems in tendering, so we launched the eProcurement System which makes it 100% online process.
www.emagazine.gov.bh
19
05. ePartner
If Korea wants to invest into the Gulf region, Bahrain would be a good location to start from.
Between 2003 and 2008, we started to integrate our services to stop citizens from visiting several ministries in order to obtain their certificates. The process is about combining databases and analyzing government processes - once all processes are defined, we overlap them. While each ministry keeps its database, we proposed solutions by creating two information sharing centers, which back each other simultaneously and allow ministries to access other ministries drafted-records. These integrated centers are huge and impressively handle datas; because we have them we can easily launch services, manage them more efficiently and enable the reduction of operating costs. We created a third party as it takes very long to completely merge; and citizens now see the process as one integrated service. We are currently designing a third backup center in an unknown underground location for security reasons. Korea has been so successful because it constantly placed IT at the top of the priorities.
Bahrain has launched eKey System, to what extent do you think this will improve eService Delivery?
The eKey System will certainly increase trust and security between government services and citizens. It was a vital factor for Korea to use this type of electronic key, which is a digital certificate that we introduced more than 10 years ago, since the iodine password is not secure enough to use certain services such as text filings and bank transactions. Furthermore, we initiated a program in 2001 which enabled us to launch very complicated services such as text filings, filing passports, downloading residence certificates using personal keys and printing them by authenticating the user with the eKey which has a code stamp equipped to be used as a legitimate certificate of residence.
Magazine
20
05. ePartner
I observed his highness and their excellencies put a lot of their energy and attention to the eGovernment and ICT sector that gives 50% of the success already.
Can you say that excelling in eGovernment is the result of investment in ICT or active participation?
I believe that investment definitely comes first because people participate when it is convenient, reliable, beneficial and secure, then they will voluntarily participate without the governments need to push them. If there is a fast access, easy process and trust in technology people will go for it. Bahrain must nurture local companies as it shouldnt always depend on foreign and global companies. Government, companies, citizens, suppliers and demand can create small markets and Bahrain can upgrade the level of technology to lower costs; therefore, benefits would return to citizens again. In Koreas case, we developed our own router system rather than being dependent on packages and
Whats your impression of your visit to the forum, workshops and IT Expo?
The first thing that attracted my attention was the top leaders enthusiasm. I also observed His Highness Deputy Prime Minister and Their Excellencies the Ministers all put a lot of their energy and attention to the eGovernment and ICT sector that gives 50% of success already as it is the key factor. We form a lot of conferences and forums such as Bahrains International eGovernment Forum 2012, but I havent seen such a huge enthusiasm of investment neither in the Gulf region nor in Eastern Europe. The forum was very unprecedented, and to create such a ground of making people interchange with each other, in a way, you are nurturing environment and this will eventually pay back.
www.emagazine.gov.bh
21
6
Achieving such core principles phase program designed to: ministrys strategies.
eInitiatives
Enhancing the health sector in Bahrain is one of the governments priorities to ensure a quick, easy and equitable access of highquality healthcare for every resident in Bahrain. The Health Ministry plays a major role towards achieving the Kingdoms vision by tackling challenges and ensuring protection of the populations health. Thus, the ministrys strategy for the next ten years is focused on validating a sustainable system towards a healthier Bahrain. The strategy is summed-up into six strategic objectives - accessibility, affordability, appropriateness, accountability, accreditation and acceptability. requires commitment,
In 2003, the Cabinet Affairs issued a commandment that the Information Systems of the Health Ministry are to be outsourced using the recognised model BOOT. Accordingly, I-SEHA program which includes health application systems, infrastructure and management of all functions for project implementation is based on the BOOT model: Build: The vendor is responsible for the development, installation and customization of any module and the provision of necessary hardware. Own: The vendor as the owner - will be responsible for the performance, operation and maintenance of every equipment and application. Operate: the system will be operated by both the vendor and ministry. Transfer: Based on the outsourcing model, the system ownership will be transferred to the ministry. On February 2011, the ministry signed a contract with Indra, a Spanish global technology and Innovation Company specialized in the implementation of Health Information Systems. Ranked second in Europe, the company that operates in more than 110 countries also operates and owns the I-SEHA program, where assets would be transferred back to the government after a period of 11 years. The ministry assigned Indra as the vender of the model in order to provide a new global citizen-centered healthcare system based on accessibility, clinical safety, sustainability and interoperability.
implementation of an evidence-based management framework, complete restructuring and redevelopment of information capturing. Along with methods of analyses, reporting and introduction of a comprehensive electronic health information system. Therefore, the ministry embarked on a major initiative - the National Health Information System (I-SEHA), which is a multi-
Identify information application architecture and associated technical architecture, which meet such requirements.
Obtain services of a partner to re-engineer and modernize the current environment of the chosen knowledge-managed health system, then manage the new environment.
The logo of I-SEHA, My Health in Arabic, possesses two colors: Green represents ekg/ecg pulse diagram symbolizing healthy life. Red and white symbolizing Bahrains national flag. The letter I holds the countrys flag.
Magazine
22
06. eInitiatives
Several objectives behind the implementation of I-SEHA will have an impact on the services required to link Bahrains citizens and residents with healthcare providers, suppliers, payers and regulators. Such objectives include: 1. Providing an integrated healthcare provider system that will support sharing appointments and information between the private and public clinical venues of tertiary, secondary, or primary care across Bahrain. 2. Improving access to health information by ensuring that the right information is available to authorized users to enable effective clinical and management decision-making. 3. Improving information flow which links and supports transactions and information sharing between government regulators, private and public healthcare providers with suppliers, people and future alternative payers. 4. Improving quality of health information by providing data that has a high degree of consistency, accuracy and completeness. 5. Providing a National Health Information Centre that will provide real time online analytical decision support tools to assist in the improvement of daily operations and clinical 6.
practices. A data warehouse decision support tools for analysing retrospective information that will improve the quality of services provided, effectiveness of service delivery, and the efficient utilization of resources. Providing appropriate information that facilitates knowledgebased decisions in order to effect change in individual behaviour, patient care, administration, research and education as well as monitor and measure health outcomes. The scope of I-SEHA includes implementation of healthcare applications in various venues such as Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC), King Hamad General Hospital, Health Ministry peripheral hospitals and every health centre with modern, intelligent and integrated clinical, administrative systems. The ministry works in partnership with a number of stakeholders to improve the populations health and ensure that every individual has access to high-quality, responsive health service throughout their lifetime. Successful implementation of the program is a crucial and strategic step towards an effective and efficient work environment that leads to improvements in health services.
1
Implement primary care health centers
2
Implement SMC hospitalization services
/ update Implement stems with deployed sy rvices and additional se ferent dif modules in s and hospital centers
1
Less duplication of data entry will reduce administrative time.
2
Access to medical alert information, like potential allergies to medications, could reduce error results in certain cases.
3
Improved on-line validation controls and therefore data accuracy.
4
Upgrading cost control by accurately identifying the budget and the actual expenditures.
Privacy and confidentiality would be protected in line with legislative requirements. expenditures.
Enhancing patient safety by eliminating handwriting errors, reducing medication errors, supporting clinical decisions and improving the flow of information expenditures.
Quality and continuity of patient care by flexible accessibility to patient information in order to attain unique electronic health records for each patient. expenditures.
www.emagazine.gov.bh
23
eGA
eGovernment Stakeholders and Working Groups Discuss the Implementation of the National eGovernment Strategy 2016
The eGovernment Authority (eGA) had organized an introductory meeting for Information Technology (IT) and eGovernment working groups last month at Mvenpick Hotel in Muharraq to discuss the new National eGovernment Strategy. Attended by more than 30 high-level government officials and IT decision makers, the meeting began with an overview of the National eGovernment Strategy 2016 which was presented by eGAs Chief Executive Officer Mr. Mohamed Ali Al Qaed, who stressed the vital role of government entities in implementing the new strategy and integrating governmental services. As part of meeting activities, Booz & Company Senior Associate Mr. Fady Kassatly presented highlights of the key strategic milestones based on a comprehensive Readiness, three-dimension (ERU) methodology The Environment, Usage framework.
eGovernment target model and overall objectives in the strategy consistently contribute to the achievements of the Economic Vision 2030. Focusing on the strategic objectives and the Key Performance Indicators (KPI), eGA Policies and BPR Directorate Director Dr. Zakareya Ahmed Al-Khaja illuminated the ways of cooperation and joint work mechanisms with various ministries in order to link all government projects. Notably, stakeholders had a session of active open discussion where representatives of government entities shared their feedback and suggestions. The meeting was an opportunity to enhance intergovernment cooperation for a successful eTransformation in order to improve Bahrains competitiveness, regionally and globally.
Magazine
24
07. eGA
Bahrain Took Part in Hong Kongs High-level ICT and Sustainable Urbanization Meeting
In response to an invitation by the United Nations Organization; Mr. Mohammad Al Qaed, eGovernment Authority Chief Executive Officer; participated in a prestigious meeting held recently in Hong Kong, China. Participants discussed matters that are related to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Sustainable Urbanization in South Asian countries. The meeting was jointly organized by South-South News, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (HABITAT) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It was held in the presence of South Asian countries ambassadors, representatives of UNICEF, HABITAT and UNDP - in order to share the outcomes of the meeting and discover how ICT innovations can help achieve sustainable urban developments. Attendees also discussed eGovernment plans relating to the usage of technology so as to achieve sustainable urbanization and support urban life-cycle.
www.emagazine.gov.bh
25
eJargon
Single Sign-on
An authentication process is a client/server relationship where the user or client can enter a name and password to have access to more than one application or a number of resources within an enterprise or a system. Single sign-on takes away the need for users to enter further authentications when switching from one application to another. Bahrain has recently launched the National Authentication Framework (NAF) which is recognized as eKey system.
webopedia.com
Magazine
26
9
Month Pages viewed Number of financial transactions Total value of financial transactions No. of pages viewed per visit Average time spent per visit March 2012 1,082,754 16,084 933,804 9.6 00:08:52 Total number of visits: 41,243,299
ePointers
eServices in Progress
Sr. Ministry / Agency 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 Royal Charity Organization Eskan Bank Civil Services Bureau Ministry of Interior Ministry of Justice & Islamic Affairs Islamic Affairs Ministry of Municipalities Affairs VIVA QAA for Education and Training Zain Grand Total In Progress 1 10 9 1 1 1 1 5 3 32
28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
10
Preface Research Methodology
eStudies
A Survey Study on Social Networking Tools
The new social media has revolutionized the way media messages are transferred - in a bigger reach and to a broader audience worldwide. This is achieved with the help of interactive dimensions through the use of audio-visual messages and info-graphic illustrations, with an instant facility to add comments on breaking news and develop the content. The role of social networks is obvious in exchanging information - whether reliable or fabricated- particularly during 2011. Since there has been little information about the growing number of social network users from official sources, Bahraini researcher Lulwa Khalifa Budalamah studied the recent traffic, content of tweets on Twitter website and analyzed hashtag counts (#hashtag is used to mark keywords in a Tweet to categorize messages/discussions). The study was an attempt to discover the impact of social networks on Bahrains youths, how they use Twitter streaming, as well as to increase public awareness and provide future resources for politicians and media teams.
of qualifications, the sample included 19.5% post-graduates, 58% graduates and 22.5% from secondary school level or below. The researcher used data-collection tools, analyzed content of social networks spaces (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube), and consulted a number of previously issued studies, statistics as well as surveys related to the subject matter.
The study adopted both descriptive and analytical survey methodologies; also used Knowledge Gap theory to describe the levels of knowledge among respondents. Theory perspective is based on the notion that informational divides are established among community groups due to the adverse impacts of mass communication and over-flow of information inside a specific group, within a single society, accompanying the diffusion of new media channels. The researcher gave-out a random questionnaire on a sample composed of 200 young Bahrainis - equally divided by gender (50% each) to include 100 males and 100 females. Other variants also included age, occupation, qualifications and monthly salaries were also taken into consideration. The sample covered every governorate in the Kingdom - within several sectors which involved 47.5% from the government sector, 49% from the private sector and 2.5% from the students group (the lowest segment). In terms
Magazine 28
10. eStudies
According to the website Trade Arabia, Bahrain was ranked 5th in the Arab region and considered to have one of the highest Twitter penetration rate. Arab Social Media Report (ASMR) indicated that online social network subscribers increased by 30% in the first quarter of 2011 and around 27.7 million Arab users subscribed on Twitter. The table below shows the growing number of Twitter users from November 2009 to October 2011 (in millions):
The study also analyzed content of over 10,000 randomly selected tweets and categorized them by the most used #hashtag; topics of discussion; whether they included links, added videos or photos as attachment to a tweet. Furthermore, it revealed that #Bahrain (the countrys official hashtag) was the most frequently used. Many users tagged their tweets with the official hashtag and used it in different formats such as #Bah or #B, whereas a number of tweeters used other hashtags.
The study showed that 650 tweets included attachments; 1,350 tweets included links; 2,010 tweets included photos; while the majority of tweets (5,990) did not include attached content. The researcher used the #hashtag as a tool for measurement which signifies the topic of discussion, helps categorize the bulky content added to twitter instantaneously and represents a new and fast tool that is widely-used by tweeters worldwide. The researcher also confirmed the awareness of Bahrainis in using #hashtags in order to spread their thoughts to the addressed group. Furthermore, she pointed out that most Bahrainis tagged their tweets with the appropriate #hashtag and properly employed the available space; adding that Twitter introduced a Long Tweet feature which allows tweeters to expand their posts.
www.emagazine.gov.bh
29
11
eGlobal
Magazine
30
11. eGlobal
Case Study
Inspired by the British case Fix my street, My Street portal is a project of civic participation that allows the active involvement of citizens in managing their street or neighborhood; and report problems such as the need for action on public roads, maintenance of equipment or removal of hazardous of abandoned items as well as suggesting improvements directly to the Town Hall. The platform also enables the follow-up of case evolution. My Street project is part of the new tendency of bringing together the public administration and citizens.
Several foreseen initiatives can be re-used in other countries, as the objectives of the program are transversal and with applicability beyond a specific national panorama. As it can be easily understood, a major effort will now be necessary to guarantee the effective application of the program. With the involvement of several public bodies and benefiting from a strong political support, an ambitious roadmap is now underway.
Impact
ICT have not stopped creating new ways of bringing together citizens and public administration. New information and communication channels are being opened with that objective, revolutionizing the possible interactions between the public administrations and civil society. Innovative tools and methodologies now allow the creation of a more open and transparent public administration, easily accessible to citizens and businesses. The spatio-temporal contraction brought by ICT allows this, thereby removing the old paradigms of a not very accessible to civil society public administration. This project was born with the aim of encouraging transparency, cost efficiency and greater civil society participation in the management of the public good. When submitted to My Street portal, by photo or text, all reports are forwarded to the selected municipality. It is possible to mark the occurrences directly on the map, through a new application that uses Google Maps technology, namely Geo-referencing. With 9,500 reported incidents, the platform also allows to see the evolution of treatment of the case. The citizen is informed via email as soon as the situation is resolved. This initiative, included in the Municipal Simplex Program 2009/2010, has relied on the active participation of local authorities, and it is expected that more municipalities join the initiative, giving citizens a more active role in improving the local problems and helping municipalities take care of its streets.
Lessons Learnt
The participation of civil society is essential if transparency, democracy, efficiency and modern governance are desired. Citizens have to be a part of decision-making, have instruments and tools at their disposal - to participate and feel part of the problem and its resolution.
Source:
epractice.eu
www.emagazine.gov.bh
31
12
www.cio.gov.bh
Description: links to several ministries. approvals.
eServices Central Informatics and Communications Organization Bahrain Petroleum Company Bahrain Internet Society Almoayyed Computers
The outstandingly informative, user-friendly website serves both Arabic and English users by offering a tremendous amount of services that are provided through the website. Some of the many services are grouped as Identity Card, IT, Statistics, and Geographic Informatics System services; along with the facility to download application forms. The website also provides access to the eGovernment portal, Smart Card, GIS, Bahrain Locator and
In addition, the organization had also won the Best eProject award in the Government Sector category at this years eGovernment international forum with its project eWayleave. The initiative is a web-based solution where stakeholders can manage their Wayleaves, which successfully solves a problem often faced by citizens, businesses and governmental organizations in reengineering the often lengthy process in obtaining Wayleave Homepage Links: Home | Projects | Achievements | Media Center | SMS Service | Contact | Location | Sitemap Main Links: About CIO | Services | Directorates | News Clipping | Web Mail | Complaints
Magazine
32
12. eServices
Almoayyed Computers
www.almoayyedcomputers.com
Description: This years eGovernment forum regarded Almoayyed Computers as the best achiever in the award Best ICT Solutions Provider, after excelling two other nominators who competed to win the award in the Multi Sector category. The companys website outshines in providing various types of ICT and enterprise business solutions as well as professional services such as technical support, infrastructure implementation, application deployment and outsourcing services. The company took the title of the best solution provider for its excellent project management and customer service regimes by providing real-time and comprehensive support to a high-standard. Homepage Links: About us | Industries | Services | Solutions Group | Business Partners | Success Stories | Careers Main Links: ICT Solutions | Professional Services | Enterprise Business Solutions
www.emagazine.gov.bh
33
13
D 25-28 June 2012 L New York City, USA I www.unpan.org
Lanka
Cyprus UAE
Magazine
34
www.emagazine.gov.bh
35
14
About the Service A Quick Guide:
1. 2. 3. Click on the Launch Service button. Then the Registered Employees link to login.
How to e
The Civil Service Employee services allow government employees, who are registered with Civil Service Bureau, to view their personal information and monthly salary slip through the eGovernment Portal.
Select the service you wish to use from the provided list.
Magazine
36