Fatimah,(sixth, right), with welfare officers at the Excellent Services and Appreciation Awards ceremony yesterday.
KUCHING: Sarawak is still short of social welfare staff at both federal and state level, says Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.
According to the Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister, the ratio in the state is one social welfare officer for every 500 to 1,500 clients in district social welfare offices.
“At the divisional social welfare office, there is one staff for every 300 client,” she added during the Sarawak Social Welfare Department (JKMNS)’s 2019 Excellent Services and Appreciation Awards handing over ceremony held yesterday.
The staff strength currently serving at JKMS is 750 people out of which 295 work in the state welfare department and the other 455 are employed by the federal welfare agencies.
“This means that the ratio of state to federal staff (of 295 people to 455 staff) is one to two staff members,” she said.
Fatimah added that her ministry is in the process of developing the iSarawakCare system to digitise and integrate initiatives under her ministry.
The components of the iSarawakCare platform will allow integration between the relevant state agencies, businesses, and community on all welfare assistance and social services.
“This platform provides easy access for the people to communicate with us and apply for assistance anytime and anywhere,” she said.
Through the iSarawakCare platform, Sarawakians will be able to complete transactions online anywhere.
It improves the efficiency of citizen transactions, reducing travel and waiting time as the response time will be in real time, and avoiding out-of-pocket transport and postage costs especially for those in the rural areas.
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