The i-Gov Masterplan, which includes 53 charters (groups of initiatives), is due to be implemented by 2010 in four phases.
“i-Gov, short for integrated e-government, builds on the success of the e-government programme which has introduced the public to the concept of online government access,” the Supreme Council for Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR) secretary general Dr Hessa al-Jaber explained at the first Government IT Forum.
ictQATAR will plan and co-ordinate i-Gov, which will see government agencies connect online to improve customer services.
Rolled out over the next four years, i-Gov will make life easier for those who live and work in Qatar by providing a comprehensive range of government information and services online.
“We will provide important information and services to our residents faster and more efficiently than ever before. With our efforts to connect all government agencies to one another and to the public, i-Gov will become a leader in the region,” she said.
i-Gov will ultimately see online government information and services accessed via a single website. This will allow residents and citizens to find information in one place, as well as undertake numerous tasks online, such as viewing library databases and register patents and trademarks online.
Dr al-Jaber revealed that ictQATAR’s e-health programme, which is to be implemented in co-operation with the National Health Authority and the Hamad Medical Corporation, will interconnect every hospital’s health records.
“That means health providers will have up-to-date information about every patient at the moment it is needed,” the official said while asserting that this is just the beginning of the online health programmes.
In order to make i-Gov a success, ictQATAR will promote the development of a professional IT community and provide an umbrella (forum) for awareness building and communication activities.
Dr al-Jaber recalled that HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani had issued, last week, a decree establishing the i-Gov Sponsor Group.
“From the highest levels of government, this Group will steer i-Gov’s initiatives and help raise awareness of the good work we will do together,” she said.
The secretary general pointed out that the Sponsor Group would also have the Ministers of Economy and Commerce, Finance, Civil Service and Housing Affairs, Interior, and Municipal Affairs and Agriculture. She also introduced ictQATAR’s chief information officer Chan Khoong from Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, one of the world’s leading government bodies for ICT.
Later, giving i-Gov programme overview, i-Gov programme manager Yousef al-Naama, said that first seven charters would be available this year, followed by 18 more in 2008, 21 in 2009, and six in 2010.
“Throughout each phase, government ministries and councils will collaborate, share expertise and work toward a standardised IT environment,” he explained.
Although ictQATAR will own some of the charters, most will be owned and implemented by other government agencies with the former’s support, in both expertise and resources.
The charters fall in three categories, such as environment, readiness, and usage.
‘Environment’ addresses the legal, legislative, policy, and business situations in Qatar. These charters will set strategies and inform citizens and businesses about i-Gov.
The ‘environment’ charters will be typically owned by ictQATAR. These include legislative and regulatory changes, and marketing and awareness campaign.
‘Readiness’ builds government agencies’ infrastructure and capabilities in cross-agency solutions. Most charters in this category will be owned by ictQATAR. The examples include payment platform, government portal, and self-service terminals.
‘Usage’ focuses on concrete service delivery. Most of these charters, including business set up services, visa and residency services, will be owned by individual government agencies.
The IT Forum was attended by 73 professionals from government and semi-government agencies, who took part in a question and answer session with a panel consisting of international and Qatari IT specialists about critical success factors relating to integrated e-government.
The panel and audience put forward their experiences and ideas about a range of issues that i-Gov will encompass, including the importance of developing i-Gov into a citizen-centric programme, which provides information and services that people want and need in a one stop e-shop.
UK’s gov3 managing partner Graham Walker, considered an expert on government e-transformation, maintained that the most ideal e-government option was the single service option, wherein people could access all services on one platform.
Walker also gave the example of www.direct.gov.uk to substantiate his point.
Quelle/Source: Gulf Times, 11.04.2007
