KUALA LUMPUR: Civil servants should put themselves in the "shoes" of the public in order to comprehend and empathise with the challenges they face, thereby providing the best possible services, says Datuk Seri Suriani Ahmad.
The Health Ministry secretary-general revealed that the ministry has detailed three initiatives to make public services more accessible - bringing specialised services closer to the public, delivering safe, innovative, and high-quality healthcare services, and offering alternative methods of service delivery.
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"Our guiding philosophy as civil servants, in our quest to democratise the public service, is to always consider ourselves as citizens first, as our daily responsibility is to address the problems of the people," she stated.
Suriani made these remarks while serving as a panel member at the "Merakyatkan Perkhidmatan Awam" forum at the Two Years of the Madani Government Programme (2TM) and the 2024 National Convention on Public Service Reform at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Saturday (Nov 23).
She emphasised that improving the accessibility of public services isn't a new endeavour, but efforts are being ramped up to ensure greater, more effective and efficient visibility.
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She cited several examples of the Health Ministry's initiatives to democratise healthcare services, such as the flying doctor service for areas unreachable by road, the school clinic outreach programme, and the dispatch of health officers and nurses to underserved communities.
Another panelist at the forum, Education Ministry secretary-general Datuk Ruji Ubi identified students, teachers, and parents as the ministry’s three main stakeholders in the democratisation of public service.
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"The MOE and its leadership are actively ensuring that children eligible for Year One enrolment are registered and attend school. Furthermore, comprehensive and holistic measures are being taken to address the issue of students registered for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) actually sitting for the examination," he said.
Earlier, the Education Ministry reported that over 10,000 SPM 2023 candidates did not sit for the examination despite having registered.
The two-day convention, which began on Saturday (Nov 23), is being held in conjunction with the 2TM programme. – Bernama
