Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Wednesday, October 8th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

The Directorate General of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Al Ain hosted the second forum for best practices in service provision for seniors and people with special needs. The forum, which was held in the city of Al Ain, was attended by a number of government entities specialized in services provision from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al Ain.

Colonel Khalifa Matar Balquba' Al Humairi, Director of the Residency and Foreigners' Affairs Department in Al Ain welcomed the participants, stressing that the forum represents the perfect opportunity to exchange successful and leading experiences designed to provide services for the seniors and people with special needs. This methodology is pursuant to the higher leadership’s vision and instructions, which stipulate the need to provide and develop distinguished services to customers who approach the different sectors and departments. It also falls in line with the requirements and standards of the Government Services Excellence Program, aimed at providing customers with efficient 7-star government services like seven stars hotels.

He added, “seniors and people with special needs enjoy priority treatment at the various government departments, which consider care and compassion for this these categories a well-established value in the Islamic faith. To this end, the government has instructed its various departments and institutions to tailor their services according to the needs of seniors and people with special needs, with a view to provide them with maximum comfort.”

During the forum, which coincides with the International Day of the Older Persons, the Directorate General of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Al Ain showcased its experiences and services that cater to the needs of seniors and people with special needs and respect their privacy; as well as the various amenities and facilities offered to them.

Mr. Jassim Ahmed, Senior Manager, Strategy and Customer Service at the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, gave an overview of the DEWA’s experience in this regard, stressing that it was a forerunner in providing services and discounts of up to 50% on fees provided by DEWA to Zaker Card holders, which provides privileges to seniors, aged 60 or over; as well as to holders of the SANAD cards, which provide services to people with special needs; including valet parking.

Adding further, Mr. Jassim Ahmed noted that, “the DEWA website has also a set of accessibility options for people with special needs, particularly the visually impaired and color blind individuals, by which they can change the text size and background color of the website through the browser. These options are also available via the DEWA’s application on smartphones.” He also indicated that the Customer Care Center clients can communicate with DEWA to inquire about the services via the Ash’ir (Arabic for ‘to signal’) service, which provides support to hearing-impaired customers, through a 24/7 ‘live’ sign language video chat.

He explained, “The Ash’ir service was launched on August 31, 2014 by Mr. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), and our customer service staff has undergone training on using sign language by the Community Development Authority (CDA).” Moreover, he pointed out that DEWA has ranked in first place in customer satisfaction in 2013, reaching a record high of 94.3%, with a growth of 1.89%, according to the Dubai Government Excellence Program.

For his part, Bader Saeed Al Badi, Acting Manager of Al Ain Service Center of the Emirates Identity Authority, gave an overview of DEWA’s experience and services provided to seniors and people with special needs. He pointed that special lanes, counters, and ramps have been designated for them, in addition to home services designed to facilitate registration processes and issuance and renewal of identity cards for these categories from their preferred locations.

Mrs. Aisha Al Dhaheri, from the Judicial Department, showcased the various services provided for these categories by the Department, which established special standards  and guidelines across its buildings, such as paths, and service counters, with a view to manage the different cases and provide this segment with a list of the services available to them.  She also noted that other services include the adjudication service, booking appointments for trials, and other legal processes; through a specialized notary.

Captain Khalifa Musabbah Al Ka’bi from Al Ain Residency Department gave a presentation highlighting the various services provided by the department to its customers of seniors and people with special needs. “The department has launched the ‘Closer to You’ initiative to ensure access to its services to seniors and people with special needs via a specially allocated contact number. The A competent team of staff members shall be dispatched to complete the required transactions, from the customers preferred location; whether from the comfort of their homes, or in the customer’s car in the department’s parking lot, without having to visit the department,” said Captain Al Ka’bi. He also noted that the department is considering future projects and initiatives to serve this category.

On the other hand, Hamad Al Shamesi from Al Ain Distribution Company (AADC) listed the services offered to customers by the company. He said, “AADC is committed to communicating with its customers and subscribers. It is also keen to cater to the needs of seniors or people with special needs that have home healthcare programs or medical devices that need to be operational at all times.”

The forum was attended by a number of officers from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Abu Dhabi; as well as officers form the Al Ain Residency Department, and representatives of government departments and institutions.

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The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

Contacts

The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department

Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media

Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-987-1317

E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com

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