Dubai: The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) has launched an innovative electronic suggestion scheme platform, ‘Afkari’, to allow for more efficient feedback of ideas from employees.
The newly launched Idea Management Hub will be available through the internal and external ministry portals, giving the employees the opportunity to propose ideas and suggestions. The ministry will facilitate and implement the best proposed ideas that will lead to the development of its services and to achieve the happiness of its employees and customers, said Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention.
Al Owais highlighted the ministry’s efforts to promote institutional excellence and innovation, while working to develop national capabilities, in adherence to the National Innovation Strategy, launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which aims to transform the UAE into one of the most innovative countries in the world by 2021.
“At the ministry, we are committed to unleash our employees’ innovative potentials and therefore we invested in the development of a world class automated Idea Management Hub, Afkari. We hope that this platform will empower our employees to share their ideas to support innovation and excellence. We consider Afkari as an ideas incubator and a platform to launch a variety of idea management solutions such as idea campaigns. The Afkari platform will provide the necessary support for R&D and prototyping and allow high-impact projects to develop towards creating value, enhancing our productivity and service excellence for a happier community,” said Al Owais.
Dr Mohammad Al Olama, undersecretary, pointed out that the ministry is keen to encourage its employees to adopt a culture of innovation, and suggest innovative ideas to face current and future challenges.
The ministry has adopted and developed assessment criteria for its employee recognition scheme, ‘Ideal Employee Prize’, that takes into account the number of suggestions and innovations provided by the employee as a step in support of the ministry’s leadership directions to establish innovation in the work environment.
Dr Aisha Al Mutawa, director of Strategy and Future Department and chief innovation officer at the ministry, declared that the new platform has been developed based on the latest best practices in the field of idea and innovation management systems. Afkari will work as ideas incubator, and will effectively manage new ideas and suggestions by following up on the implementation process in adherence with governance framework and under professional supervision.
