The Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development has established an Information Technology and Communication (ITC) Unit that will “drive” the digital transformation there.
The move is expected to “revolutionize” the delivery of social assistance throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and is in line with the Government of The Bahamas’ ongoing digitization and modernization project that operates out of the Office of the Prime Minister, through The Modernization Unit (TMU). Funding for the Ministry’s digitization and modernization has already been approved.
Headed by Ms. Judy L. Simmons, Deputy Director, the ITC Unit’s mandate consists of implementing the Ministry’s new Management Information System (ProMis) for greater efficiency, transparency and quality customer service, and the generation of statistical data for analysis, policy and programme implementation for improvement in product and service delivery at the Ministry.
Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Frankie A. Campbell, said the digitization and modernization process will allow officials to manage client information “from the time they enter our doors to that time when they become sufficiently independent that they no longer need our assistance.”
Minister Campbell said the implementation of the ProMis Management Information System will be at the forefront of social assistance reform in The Bahamas. Designed to accommodate and facilitate the many services offered, ProMis will allow operations to move away from a paper-intensive one, to a digital platform.
This flexibility will provide social assistance providers and managers throughout the Commonwealth with the tools to better organize, evaluate, and efficiently manage clients within their portfolios, and to optimize results.
A key feature of the ProMis System is its full interoperability (the ability of computer systems or software to exchange and make use of information). ProMIS will be able to share and exchange information with other key partners in Government, in addition to the private sector.
“The ITC Unit will be the engine that drives the digitization and modernization process underway at the Ministry; will be the engine that drives the ProMis system, and that helps the system to maintain a certain pace that is satisfactory to both our internal and external partners,” Minister Campbell said.
“ProMis will allow us to be able to make projections based on accurate, real-time data and for Supervisors in New Providence who are a part of our team anywhere social assistance is provided, to be able to access work that is being done by any other team member within their remit in real-time from a tablet.
“It will also improve efficiency and efficacy of service while also providing the Government of The Bahamas with accurate, real-time data with which to make projections and decisions. ProMis will also fulfill our desire to be even more transparent and accountable to the Bahamian people.
“The benefits will accrue for all involved (employees, clients, vendors, partners) throughout the entire Bahamas. This is the beauty of this system which holds so much ProMis,” Minister Campbell added.
Judy L. Simmons, Deputy Director, ITC Unit, Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development. (BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)
