Suicide attempt prompts govt to remodel hotline centres
Play
IN AN apparent move to prevent a repeat scenario of a woman indebted to a loan shark setting herself on fire after failing to get help from the state, the government will dispatch officials from 20 ministries to work at hotline centres to address complain
The plan is being carried out on the order of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha who wants the hotline service centre restructured to ensure that officials profoundly understand the plight of the people and provide appropriate support.
Since the National Council for Peace and Order took control of the country over the past five months, 81,855 issues were reported to the hotline service centre.
The problems that people complained about most were related to social and social welfare issues, which accounted for 44,105 matters. This was followed by economic issues with 11,299, while the third main issue involved people caught in the informal debt system, plummeting prices for agricultural products and wage-related issues.
Of the total, 87 per cent were classified as issues that had been addressed to the satisfaction of those who complained, while the remaining13 per cent were classed as issues that were “completely solved”.
Previously, all 20 ministries had their own hotline centres and worked independently, but after the woman set herself ablaze, the government decided that hotline officials from 20 ministries must work in the same room at the Government House complaint centre, to reduce ‘red tape’.
Hotline officials from each ministry would co-ordinate with officials at their ministry to help solve complainants’ problems.
PM’s Office permanent secretary ML Panadda Diskul yesterday called a meeting of hotline officials from the 20 ministries to outline policies.
He said the government intended to make the comprehensive hotline service one of its greatest achievements.
“We want the people to feel we care and we are willing to help improve their well-being and solve their problems,’’ he said.
“There has not been any government that could co-ordinate all resources to address public grievances,’’ he said.
Asked if the hotline centre at the Government House might overlap with the hotline service provided by the Damrongtham Centre initiated by the NCPO, Panadda urged people in the provinces to use the hotline service via Damrongtham centres instead of coming to Bangkok to file complaints at Government House.
He said while ministry officials were ordered to be stationed at Government House, officials at Damrongtham Centres in the provinces still accepted complaints for the central government and would seek to address them.
He said to improve the performance of officials at Damrongtham Centres, the centre would dispatch representatives to Government House to observe working styles so the provincial hotline centres adopted the same standard practice of giving the public service.
