Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health (MoH) Haji Maswadi bin Haji Mohsin yesterday stressed the importance of communication in providing quality service to customers at the ministry where the communication needs to be clear, courteous, using positive language with empathy and listening attentively to the customers.
He said this during the launch of the Customer Service Training at the ministry’s Al-’Afiah Hall.
The tone of voice, body language and skills are important in the provision of services which should be observed, he added.
Haji Maswadi called on all workers at the ministry to continue to strive to apply these values in their daily work to provide the best service to the customers.
“I also call on heads of departments, executive officers, senior officers starting from the superiors to provide the best service to their colleagues and subordinates and all staff alike in ensuring an efficient customer relations management and effective customer relations and in ensuring the delivery of services responsive to customers’ needs and wants,” he said.
The training is a continuous effort of the ministry to improve the quality of service to customers at government hospitals, health centres and health facilities throughout the country.
The customer service training is facilitated by the ministry’s Administration and Finance Department through its Human Resource Development Division.
The programme aims to enhance customer care among officers and staff, particularly frontliners; improve communication skills among MoH staff; instil and encourage positive values at all levels of the workforce; build confidence among the community for the ministry’s services and employees; and support the MoH’s rebranding project.
The training programme includes six sessions on fundamentals of customer service and three for call handling and telephone etiquette. It is also divided into two categories – one for healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, allied health professionals) and another for support staff and frontliners.
The course will be conducted in Brunei-Muara and Belait districts.
Deputy Permanent Secretary (Professional) at the MoH Dr Ang Swee Hui and Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary (Policy and Management) at the MoH Dr Hajah Anie Haryani binti Haji Abdul Rahman were present along with ministry officials and 30 trainees. – Azlan Othman
