People in Bahrain have been encouraged to vote for one of the 12 pioneering ideas of public sector employees that have been shortlisted as part of a government innovation contest.
Electronic voting for the sixth edition of the Government Innovation Competition (Fikra) will remain open until Tuesday through the Prime Minister’s Office website, pmo.gov.bh, to determine the winner in the ‘Public Vote’ category.
Fikra was launched by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to foster the culture of creativity in the public sector.
This year, the finalists include 12 path-breaking concepts intended to benefit the public, such as unifying emergency services, rating restaurants in Bahrain based on food and safety, a virtual school, and special programmes for students with autism.
The GDN interviewed some of the finalists who shared details of their projects and how it can change the lives of citizens and residents.
Among them are Mohannad Alnoaimi, from the Information Ministry, and Dr Sofia Hashim, from the Bahrain Teachers College (BTC), who have come up with Taif, a National Programme for the Rehabilitation of Autism.
Programmes
“This project specifically covers special programmes and services for autistic students, aged 18 and above, which, I believe, is the need of the hour,” Mr Alnoaimi told the GDN.
“Our special needs students and their families are in a dilemma once they complete their studies at dedicated government creativity centres because there are no major programmes and services to help them integrate further after the age of 18.
“I know cases where families have requested centre officials to ensure their child repeats another year because they don’t know what to do with them after they turn 18,” he claimed.
He said their project includes a dedicated shelter with a system in place to ‘provide autistic individuals over 18 with educational and professional resources that enable them to study, work and live and prevent them from relapsing’.
“We can assess their abilities, and those on the milder form of autism can be trained to work while others can continue to be active at the centre.
“The centre will help both Bahrainis and expats,” he added.
This is the third consecutive project by Mr Alnoaimi to be shortlisted for the final.
He had pitched the National Visual Platform for the Deaf, ‘We Hear You’, in 2021 that included a remote visual call centre that works round the clock as an intermediary to translate sign language between deaf people and employees in all sectors through a smart application. The project is currently being implemented by government entities and is expected to be launched soon.
In 2020, Mr AlNoaimi proposed Hayat+, a national blood donation platform aimed at saving lives through a rapid response system that streamlines donation requests. This was implemented by the Health Ministry and the Information and eGovernment Authority.
Another outstanding project is the Aman initiative by a team of Interior Ministry employees – Major Engineer Dr Musab Alkhadri, Captain Engineer Aysha Alyasi, Captain Engineer Haya Almahmeed and Captain Engineer Abdulrahman Al Khaja.
“Our concept is an early notification system that can be installed in buildings in Bahrain, which will alert Civil Defence or the National Ambulance in case of a fire emergency or gas leak,” said Capt Al Khaja. It integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) with the Internet of Things (IoT).
Capt Al Khaja added that the system needs a WiFi connection and can automatically notify firemen about individuals stuck in buildings who need emergency evacuation.
“After the tragic fire incidents such as in Al Louzi and Wadi Al Sail, where there were loss of lives, we decided to come up with a system that alerts emergency responders in real time with detailed information,” he added.
Four people died in Al Louzi blaze that broke out in an eight-storey residential building last May. Around 20 tenants were rescued as 48 firemen, with the aid of seven fire engines, battled to quell the flames.
Two young girls, aged six and 12, died in a house fire in the Wadi Al Sail area in 2023.
Capt Alyasi said the technology can be used for early detection and reporting of incidents such as fires, elevator accidents, gas leaks and more.
“Once the system detects incidents and forwards them to the Civil Defence Operations Room, it enables a faster response, thereby protecting lives and property,” she added.
The team added that the technology was not new and was being used in the UAE.
“Husintak helped report 400 actual fires in more than 43,000 residential units in the UAE.
“In Kuwait, all government facilities are connected to the Building Fire Systems Integrated Project, which is a smart monitoring system, and by 2025, 4,000 residential facilities will also be linked to it.
“The main goal of Aman initiative is to protect what is priceless: Human life.”
Yet another Interior Ministry project that has been shortlisted for the contest is ‘Hayat Plus’ application by Major Hamad Al Swar and Major Salem Al Swar.
It aims to unify emergency services and ministry operation rooms – with professionals trained in providing first aid offering their services and delivering vital information in real time, thereby doubling the survival chances of those in critical conditions.
Bahrain University project ‘Stars’ by Mooza Al Hadi is also among the top 12. It offers a one to five rating system of every restaurant in Bahrain, based on the quality of food and services and commitment to the health and safety criteria.
Every restaurant must clearly display the rating for customers as the application aims to prevent food poisoning or other cases and encourage owners to pay more attention to the quality of their services.
E-vaccine by Aysha Buali, from the Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry, aims to convert the vaccine certificate digitally and combine government and private hospitals under one system to prevent loss of documents that are mandatory to register children at schools.
Jassim AlObaidly, Khalid Saif, and Khalifa Alhassan, from the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) have come up with Taqyeemkh – a platform that will rate government employees’ cyber security awareness in an effort to prevent online attacks. It will also provide training plans to boost their awareness.
A total of 40 concepts were submitted for Fikra from which 12 have been shortlisted by four specialised committees following a rigorous evaluation.
The outcome of the vote will be announced alongside the results from the ministers’ evaluation committee, which will determine the winning concepts.
For e-voting, visit pmo.gov.bh and fill out the Fikra vote form by submitting your name, email, and smart card details.
The 12 finalists
1. Aman: By Major Engineer Dr Alkhaldi, Captain Engineer Alyasi, Captain Engineer AlKhaja, Captain Engineer Almahmeed from the Interior Ministry.
2. Friendly Family: By Lulwa Isa AlMehri from the Labour Market Regulatory Authority
3. Hayat plus: By Major Al Swar and Major Salem from the Interior Ministry.
4. The National Programme for the Rehabilitation of Autism (Taif): By Mr Alnoaimi and Dr Hashim
5. Stars: By Ms Al Hadi from Bahrain University
6. Taqyeemk: By Mr AlObaidly, Mr Saif and Mr Alhassan, from BDF
7. National Points System (Kafu): By Manar Thani, from the Prime Minister’s Office.
8. E-Vaccine: By Ms Buali, from the Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry.
9. Play to Learn: By Nayla AlKaabi from the Education and Training Quality Authority.
10. Updating Periodic Child Examination Services: By Dr Nuha Alzayani, from Bahrain University.
11. Bahrain Virtual School: By Shaikha AlBuainain, from the Sustainable Development Ministry.
12. Fareed Educational Platform: By Yaqoob Al Qassab from the National Space Science (NSSA).
sandy@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))