Online public service portal: A new step forward for Nghe An.

(Baonghean) - The province's online public service portal aims to facilitate individuals and organizations in need of administrative procedures to resolve them quickly, conveniently, and consistently, following the "one-stop shop" principle via the internet.

The application of information technology (IT) in the operations of state agencies and governments, aiming towards e-government, is a common model in many countries and an inevitable trend in Vietnam. In recent years, state agencies have made efforts to apply IT in management and administration to improve the efficiency of state governance, enhance transparency, reduce government spending, and bring conveniences and benefits to people's lives, initially achieving important results.

People conducting transactions at the one-stop service center in Quang Trung ward (Vinh City). Photo: Thanh Le

Since 2014, Nghe An province has approved a roadmap for providing online public services by state agencies in the province for the period 2014-2018 according to the e-government development plan No. 3188. Subsequently, implementing Resolution No. 36a/NQ-CP dated October 14, 2015 of the Government on e-government and decisions on promoting the application of information technology in the activities of state agencies, the People's Committee of Nghe An province has decisively directed and implemented a comprehensive set of solutions and action programs such as: Issuing guiding documents including Directive No. 25 on promoting the deployment of online public services in state agencies; Issuing the Plan for providing online public services at levels 3 and 4 in 2016; Signing cooperation agreements with reputable telecommunications and information technology service providers such as VNPT and FPT; Issued Plan No. 102 on Providing Level 3 and 4 Online Public Services in Nghe An Province in 2016; issued Plan 494 and Official Letter No. 5959 on the deployment of the integrated one-stop software system to serve the management of the one-stop mechanism and the online public service portal for Nghe An Province...; directly directed departments, agencies, and localities to develop a roadmap and promptly and effectively implement integrated one-stop electronic transactions to make it convenient for citizens and businesses to participate...

This is considered an effective solution towards the goal of building a seamless electronic system, connecting and integrating electronic documents and data from the provincial level to the grassroots; creating an electronic environment for citizens to monitor and contribute to the activities of government at all levels; establishing a provincial public service portal connected to national public services; applying information technology closely linked to administrative reform, enhancing competitiveness, and improving the business environment; implementing information technology applications combined with the ISO quality management system; improving the quality of telecommunications infrastructure, ensuring transmission quality, and guaranteeing information security...

To achieve the goals set out in administrative reform associated with strengthening the application of information technology in management and providing online public services, the province has carefully studied the solutions of telecommunications and IT enterprises, organized field trips to some localities that have implemented online public services early in the country, especially the one-stop electronic software system.

Based on lessons learned from other provinces and careful consideration of the conditions and objectives, the Provincial People's Committee unanimously selected the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) – a unit that has successfully applied and implemented solutions for 23 localities nationwide – to provide and deploy an interconnected electronic one-stop service software system to serve the management of the one-stop mechanism and the online public service portal for the province.

The VNPT-IGate system is deployed on a cloud computing platform, based on web technology and built according to the MVC 3-layer model. The system allows citizens and businesses to communicate with the government 24/7, from anywhere with an internet connection.

Transactions during the application processing and service delivery are conducted online. Fee payment and results are received directly at the agency or organization providing the service. Therefore, citizens and organizations only need to visit once to pay any fees and receive results directly at the "one-stop" service counter of the agency or unit.

Officials and civil servants handling applications can use SMS messaging or email to easily and quickly inform citizens and businesses about the processing status of their applications, including which department or division they are currently in.

To date, VNPT Nghe An has collaborated with the Information Portal of the Department of Information and Communications to establish a system at the address: http://dichvucong.nghean.gov.vn. In coordination with administrative agencies, they have surveyed and established the capacity to provide 4,497 public administrative services on the system, including 3,783 level 2 procedures; 744 level 3 procedures and 9 level 4 procedures.

Simultaneously, in coordination with public service providers, detailed procedures were developed and established for 753 level 3 and level 4 public services (achieving 100% completion); exceeding the province's Plan 102. Training sessions were organized for departments, agencies, district and city People's Committees, and communes and wards before December 25, 2016.

In addition, the VNPT-IGate electronic one-stop service system has been undergoing trial operation since December 26, 2016, and is now ready for deployment. The system has received over 4,000 applications, with 2,399 applications (60%) already processed. VNPT has also developed a solution to ensure the complete and secure transfer of data from existing systems to VNPT-IGate for units previously using other software.

Transactions related to the issuance of land use right certificates at the one-stop service center in Vinh City. (Photo: Archival image)

Besides the synchronized deployment of the VNPT-IGate integrated electronic one-stop service software system, in 2016, many agencies and units in the province made significant efforts and achieved noteworthy results in applying information technology to their respective sectors. This not only made a mark in the performance of professional and political tasks, but also created a distinct advantage in improving the province's IT readiness index both currently and in the coming years. This also serves as a foundation and leverage for all sectors, units, and localities throughout the province to effectively and proactively implement electronic one-stop service and online public service portals.

For example, the Tax Department is one of the pioneering sectors in applying information technology, with the number of online tax declarations ranking among the top in the country, with hundreds of thousands of people registering. Electronic tax payment not only helps businesses and individuals save costs and time but also simplifies paperwork when fulfilling tax obligations, helping the Tax Department enhance the efficiency of tax management, process tax payment information quickly and accurately, and diversify channels for collecting state revenue.

Similarly, the Health sector's implementation of the IT application project in medical examination and treatment and health insurance payments has yielded extremely positive results. The Health sector, in collaboration with VNPT Nghe An, successfully implemented the project at 458 medical facilities, including 2 provincial-level facilities, 9 district-level facilities, and 442 commune-level medical facilities, accounting for over 90% of the total number of medical facilities in the province. This has led to more timely medical examination and treatment services at the grassroots level, generating strong public support and positive response.

In the field of education, as of December 31, 2016, VNPT had deployed the VnEdu education management program to 1,409 out of 1,491 schools in Nghe An province, with 80,000 users of electronic communication books. This achieved a 95% rate of schools in the area applying IT to school management, meeting the requirements for computerization in management for the education sector in Nghe An...

The official launch of the Nghe An Provincial Online Public Service Portal is a significant effort in realizing the Government's policy on building an e-government in particular, and reforming the state apparatus in general.

With just an internet connection, businesses can register their business registration documents online. (Photo: Archival image)

However, creating and launching the online public service portal is only the first step; the road ahead is far more difficult and complex. It requires us not only to pursue the development of new technologies or focus solely on investing in information infrastructure, but also to reform the state apparatus, optimize operational processes, and expand the provision of diverse information and administrative services in a way that is user-friendly for citizens and businesses. This is also the aspiration of the province and the challenge facing the province and relevant agencies in the coming period.

Implementing online public services is one of the important tasks in the process of carrying out administrative procedure reform and developing e-government in Vietnam. In this general trend, the official launch of the province's online public service portal has contributed and will continue to contribute to meeting practical needs and better serving citizens and businesses. This also serves as a driving force, demonstrating the determination of the Party committee and government in implementing Resolution 26 of the Politburo on building Vinh City into an information technology center of the North Central region.

Le Ngoc Hoa

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee