Premier directs to beef up control efforts at service departments

Manama, Jan. 16 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has directed ministries and service government departments to tighten control on service sectors that are under their supervision, monitor their performance, combat any manipulation or exploitation and resist any practices that may harm the citizens or reflect negatively on the quality or level of the services delivered by the government, such as health, education, trade, municipalities, and others. The Prime Minister gave instructions to strengthen the role of control bodies at service ministries and the relevant committees, and to take effective measures against any violations or negligence after exhausting all investigation procedures, requesting those ministries to submit periodic reports in which they evaluate their service performance. HRH Premier also directed to increase the number of inspectors in various service sectors, intensify inspection campaigns to consolidate control in every sector and identify violators, and ensure compliance with laws, regulations and requirements to protect the citizens and consumers from any manipulation or fraud. This came as HRH the Prime Minister chaired the regular weekly Cabinet session at the Gudaibiya Palace today. According to a statement by the Cabinet Secretary-General, Dr. Yasser Issa Al Nasser, HRH Premier requested the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning and the Ministry of Health to complete the shortcomings and meet the needs of the Karzakan residents regarding services, facilities, infrastructure and health. The session condemned the terror attack that targeted the guesthouse in Kandahar, and claimed the lives of five UAE nationals, who were carrying out charitable, educational and development projects in Afghanistan. The Cabinet offered profound condolences and consolation to UAE President, government and people on the victims of the terror attack who lost their lives while carrying out their humanitarian duty towards the Afghan people, reiterating the kingdom's solidarity with the UAE and full-fledged support . It also renewed its condemnation and rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism, and called for concerted international efforts to combat the dangerous phenomenon that jeopardizes security and stability. The session agreed to increase the number of countries whose citizens can receive e-visas. In this regard, the Cabinet endorsed a draft law included in the memorandum presented by the Minister of Interior. According to the bill, the citizens of 114 countries can obtain e-visas, while the nationals of 67 countries can receive instant visas upon arrival at the kingdom's entry points. The session discussed a report presented by the Minister of Health including an evaluation of the level and quality of the care and treatment provided at the medical facilities that are affiliated to the Health Ministry. The report also featured suggestions on ways to develop medical services, as well as the measures taken by the ministry to avoid medical errors. It also highlighted the procedures taken to develop the Emergency Department, issues related to doctors, and the procedures adopted to keep Bahraini medical competencies, ways to address delayed appointments in health centres and shortage of medicines, in addition to proposals to improve the quality of health services in the future. HRH the Prime Minister commended the efforts exerted by the Minister of Health to develop the health sector in the Kingdom. The session approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the University of Bahrain (UoB) and the South Korean Embassy in Bahrain to build and operate the King Sejong Institute at the UoB to spread the Korean culture and establish an institute to teach the Korean language. The MoU was highlighted in the memoranda submitted by the Deputy Premier and Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs. The session referred to the parliament three draft laws proposed by the Council of Representatives, along with the government's replies. The bills included the amendment to Article 47 of Decree-Law 39/2002 regarding the general state budget, the amendment to Article 4 of Law 28/2006 with respect to the Future Generations' Reserve Fund, and the amendment to Article 11 of Decree-Law 7/1989 on the Practice of Human Medicine and Dentistry. The session approved a proposal submitted by the Council of Representatives on revamping coasts from which cabins have been removed, and another on opening branches for vehicle registration and technical examination in other regions in Bahrain, in line with the government's under-study future project to privatise vehicle examination. The Cabinet also discussed a proposal submitted by the Council of Representatives on the ceiling of the housing units' installments on the citizens, and another on rents at the traditional market's shops, and approved the draft government replies to them as suggested by the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs.