How to improve public services quality in remote areas

February 18, 2020

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The presentation of the Analytical report on "The system of providing public services and increasing the capacity of employees of the Public Service Centers (PSC) in the Surkhandarya, Kashkadarya, Jizzakh and Syrdarya regions" was held in Tashkent, with the participation of employees of the territorial divisions of the Public Services Agency (PSA), representatives ministries and departments, international organizations, the Latvian Embassy and the Delegation of the European Union in Uzbekistan.

The round table was organized by the joint project of the Ministry of Justice, PSA, the European Union and UNDP "Improved Public Service Delivery and Enhanced Governance in Rural Uzbekistan" in order to familiarize participants with the main results of the study and discuss its key findings and suggestions.

The aim of the study is to describe the current state of public services in the pilot regions - Sariassi district in Surkhandarya region, Dekhkanabad district in Kashkadarya region, Bakhmal district in Jizzakh region and Havast district of Syrdarya region, and develop proposals to improve the quality of public services and increase capacity staff of public service centers.

The study revealed that the majority of applications from the population are related to vital social and infrastructure services (provision of water, gas, electricity, construction and reconstruction of facilities, placement in kindergarten, etc.). Difficulties and delays in the provision and quality of the above services are mainly related to the weak material and technical base of organizations that provide these services (lack of office equipment, computers, scanners, communications, Internet access, special vehicles) and lack of interaction with other government organizations who are involved in the provision of these services.

In a survey of public services users, it was revealed that, in general, they highly appreciate the mode of operation of the Public Service Centers (4.72 points out of 5), the reception and registration of applications and documents necessary for the provision of public services (4.7 points out of 5), and the quality and completeness of information received from PSC employees when applying (4.7 points out of 5).

A review of the practice of providing mobile services in mahallas revealed that people do not always have complete information about the public services provided. Citizens in remote areas also noted the lack of an effective information system for the arrival of PSC express services to their community. A number of respondents recommended the implementation of SMS notification for this purpose.

To improve the quality of the services provided, the survey participants recommended increasing the number of operators, conducting trainings for employees, increasing the number of waiting places in the PSC building and improving waiting conditions (heating / air conditioning, uninterrupted Internet access, toilets, rooms for mothers and children, the availability of drinking water).

The following were listed among the proposals for creating more convenient conditions for users, including the introduction of additional services that could be provided through PSC: the possibility of replacing a driver’s license, issuing car numbers, opening branches or mini-banks at the PSC, providing notarial services, increasing the number PSC employees, etc.

During the round table, invited experts from ministries and departments, government agencies and research centers proposed to concentrate on a detailed study of the public services provided, including conducting a full functional analysis in order to improve the procedure for their provision. The suggestions and comments made during the round table were transmitted to the responsible representatives of state institutions for taking appropriate measures aimed at improving the quality of public services.