The UN E-Government Survey assesses UN member states on their application of information and communication technologies to serve and interact with their citizens. It provides a comprehensive assessment of national online services, telecommunication infrastructure and human capital. The e-government survey describes how far governments have actually advanced in these fields. The 2010 edition of the biennial report presented various roles for e-governments in addressing the global financial and economic crisis.
Qatar’s e-government development index value dipped to 0.4928 from 0.5314 in 2008. Correspondingly, Qatar’s ranking for e-government development dipped nine points to 62 this year from 53 in 2008. Qatar came down 10 slots in online service rankings internationally, from the 80th rank in 2008 to the 90th in the 2010 report.
Qatar is ranked 57th in the telecommunications infrastructure index, 74th in the human capital index, 86th in the e-participation index and 90th in the online service index globally.
Except for Qatar and the UAE, all the other GCC countries advanced to higher ranks in the 2010 report. Saudi Arabia has advanced from 70 to 58, Kuwait from 57 to 50 and Oman from 84 to 82. Bahrain jumped 29 places to rank 13th worldwide after being ranked 42nd in the survey in 2008. Bahrain, the UAE and Kuwait occupied the top three rankings, respectively, among Arab countries in the survey, followed by Saudi Arabia at fifth, Qatar at sixth and Oman at eighth.
Bahrain’s advancement by 29 points can be attributed to the nation’s recent emphasis on citizen engagement and electronic provision of government services. This has propelled the country to the top 15 in e-government development, closer to Singapore, which is among the global leaders in provision of electronic and mobile public services.
However, the report has highlighted Qatar’s move towards e-health. “In Qatar, electronic health records are a key component of the national e-health programme for all, which aims to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the healthcare system. The Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology, ictQatar, will first promote the standardisation of health records and the creation of the Electronic Patient Record, and then will focus on providing online healthcare information and services through portals and applications with a view to developing an integrated health network,” the report said.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): HUDA NV
Quelle/Source: The Peninsula, 01.05.2010
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