Nowadays, we often hear of the term digital transformation, and how it can serve many state sectors, as well as how it can improve citizens’ access to services. It has also been touted as a solution to reduce the phenomenon of corruption that we unfortunately face – depending on the current direction of the government.
Simply put, it is a transformation that allows for all manual and paper transactions to be converted into mechanised transactions without the need for human intervention. It has the added benefit of being fully secure and providing fully guaranteed solutions.
For example, let’s look at the health sector. Instead of going to a health insurance-affiliated hospital, standing in line for a long time, or having to pay money “under the counter” to shorten the time and effort, you can make a reservation online. You would also be able to quickly check for the nearest facility or pharmacy where your treatment is available. And all you would have to do is to enter your ID number or your medical number.
This means you have the ability to obtain your medical data and reports, and print them from anywhere and at any time without any extra effort. It also gives you the ability to send medical reports to the treating doctor in a confidential manner.
Another example is in the legal sector, when dealing with courts and official agencies. This is one of the most important daily transactions in which citizens also face challenges in terms of the service provider.
We find that providing a link between family prosecutions, family dispute settlement offices, legal aid offices and the Nasser Social Bank guarantees that you complete all procedures related to legal services as quickly as possible.
Digital transformation contributes to the ease of accessing legal services online, including self-guardianship and guardianship over money. It also means that citizens can automatically extract reports without having to refer to physical books or attend to this in person.
Currently, a unified portal is being developed for the Public Prosecution, which will provide all services digitally to the public, such as a photo and certificate extraction services.
In addition to facilitating legal procedures, digital transformation improves work capabilities at Family Affairs Departments in courts and prosecution offices, whilst keeping all information related to cases in electronic files that will make us dispense with hard-copy books.
The global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has, literally shown us the importance of digital transformation in our lives. Automation and digital transformation doesn’t just end at legal procedures, but can extend to other areas of daily life, such as education.
In education, exam papers can be placed online for students to sit, in which question banks are provided that will very facilitate the process of developing and retrieving questions. This will also see qualified faculty members prepare exams, in addition to providing an online portal for training on tests that have been prepared in advance for students to use as practice.
In the next article, from Technology..Simply series, we will talk about how to launch digital transformation projects in terms of infrastructure and what projects and services have been activated in Egypt.
Mai Omar Shaaban: Digital transformation and integrated solutions expert
