Maravi

Govt launches programme to improve service delivery

Govt launches programme to improve service delivery
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Tuesday February 19, 2008 [03:00]

Service delivery by most public service is still unsatisfactory to the needs of local people, Secretary to the Cabinet Dr Joshua Kanganja has said. Dr Kanganja said the weakness in the delivery of services was widespread in the entire public service albeit at varying degrees, which needed attention.

Officiating at the launch of the “Journey to Excellence” by the Department of Human Resource and administration of the Ministry of Finance, Dr Kanganja said the need to redress the declining levels of service delivery required the involvement of officers in the public service by way of attitudinal change towards their work.

He said “Journey to Excellence“ was a programme being piloted by the Department of Human Resource of the Ministry of Finance and worked towards making public service delivery more efficient, effective and competitive.

“The country requires a public service that is efficient and effective that responds quickly and positively to these needs,” Dr Kanganja said.

“We are aware that the public is not satisfied with the current levels and quality of public service delivery by us the public service workers, especially at this time of our development when the demand for public services is on the increase due to a number of social and economic factors such as high HIV and AIDS and the need to facilitate the private sector which is the engine for our economic development.”

Dr Kanganja said the numerous complaints that the public had continued to express about the delivery of services by the public workers were justified.

“There is need to for us to take stock of the performance of the entire public service by eliminating all unproductive practices at all levels of service delivery,” Dr Kanganja said. “When we are being criticised continuously by the public on the quality and level of service delivery we are delivering, we should not get offended but we must engage in dialogue with them.

So when the public complains, we officers should remember that they are doing so because they are the tax payers…they are the reason we get our salaries, so it is only proper and right that they get involved in the running of the public service and we should dialogue with them.”

Earlier, Ministry of Finance permanent secretary for finance management and administration Dr Mbikusita Lewanika said some of the inefficiencies that were rampant in the service included poor recording and information management system.

“The other weaknesses are the absence of a consistent training needs assessment, absence of effective performance monitoring and appraisal mechanism at both departmental and individual levels, poor attitude towards work among officers, delays in processing payments, poor time keeping and inconsistent application and administration of rules and regulations are among some of the impediments in the delivery of quality service in the public service.” Dr Lewanika said.

He also said the absence of employee orientation programmes and inadequacies in the security system were the other hindrances to the efficient and effective delivery of service in the public service.

Dr Lewanika said the launch of the “Journey to Excellence” which was the first in Africa was a very significant gesture by the government’s commitment to the improvement of quality delivery and accessibility to public service for its citizens.

The programme would be achieved by using the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model.

Labels: GOVERNANCE

posted by MrK @ 4:27 AM