GIRC CONTINUES TO BREAK BARRIERS

Government continues to strengthen its services by providing members of the public relevant information to their needs on services provided by various ministries, statutory bodies and departments through its Government Information Referral Centre.

In highlighting the Public Service’s objective of enhancing public sector efficiency, performance effectiveness and service delivery, the Permanent Secretary for the Public Service, Mr Parmesh Chand said the Centre is a much awaited answer to the frustrations of the public on government services.

“The Centre has teamed up with ITC to run a call centre of high in demand used government services, where enquiries are given to this office and they are directed to the right place,” Mr Chand said.

Located in the heart of Suva’s bustling central business district, the Centre provides up to date information to locals as well as tourists on facts of Fiji, contact details of ministries, shipping schedules, farming assistance, weather forecast and billing enquiries as well as handling complaints from customers and providing government online services.

Head of the Centre, Mrs Susan Baleikanacea said since its establishment in July 2009, the Centre has broken barriers in a big way.

“On average there is about 10 enquiries per day, our follow ups will be a maximum of 7 per day, the reason is, for each customer that comes to the Centre or calls in, their needs are different and sometimes we can deal with one for a minute and the other for an hour or so.”

She adds in line with improving efficiency for the civil service, the Centre’s priority is its customers.

“We have people calling in and thanking us or sometimes they meet the staff on the street and it’s really nice to see the satisfaction on their faces ,” she said.

Mrs Baleikanacea has also urged other ministries and departments to fully utilize the services of the Referral centre.

“I would like them to use us as a vehicle to promote their services, because we are here to stay and we are here to assist them, that promotion can go through the way of them providing us brochures and forms together with the criteria for assistance or call us by using the toll free line 132777 as its open 24 hours and generally this is governments one stop shop.”

The Centre has also extended its opening hours every Saturday’s from 8am to 1pm.

MEDIA RELEASE 5

Date:22/01/10