Cairo: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly directed the team of the Unified Government Complaints System (UGCS) to continue improving service quality and to ensure swift responses to complaints, requests, and distress calls, while guaranteeing accurate handling of complaints and addressing their root causes, in support of the government's efforts to strengthen direct communication with citizens and promote governance principles.

According to State Information Service Egypt, the remarks came during Madbouly's follow-up on the performance of the Cabinet's Unified Government Complaints System and affiliated entities in April, based on a detailed report prepared by Assistant Secretary-General of the Cabinet for Complaints and Citizens Satisfaction Tarek Refaie. Refaie said the system received and handled 205,000 complaints, requests, and inquiries during April.

Following the initial review and examination, 166,000 complaints and requests, representing 81 percent of the total, were referred to the competent authorities for examination and response, while 37,000 complaints were archived in accordance with the approved regulations, he added. He noted that ministries accounted for 59 percent of the total complaints and requests referred to competent authorities, and that the ministries of interior, housing, health, social solidarity, supply, education, electricity, communications, and petroleum handled nearly 89 percent of all complaints directed to ministries.

Refaie noted that several ministries achieved distinguished response and completion rates, notably the ministries of endowments, petroleum, social solidarity, electricity, education, health, transport, housing, interior, supply, tourism, local development, and environment. Governorates accounted for 26% of the complaints referred to the relevant authorities, with Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Sharqiya, Dakahlia, Menoufia, Beheira, Qalyubiya, and Gharbiya receiving 76% of all complaints directed to governorates during the month.

Meanwhile, entities including the Central Agency for Organization and Administration (CAOA), the General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation, the Armed Forces Engineering Authority, the Universal Health Insurance Project, the Consumer Protection Agency, Al Azhar, the Egyptian Drug Authority, and the National Food Safety Authority posted notable performance indicators. The report reviewed the system's efforts in a number of sectors, including healthcare, social protection, market regulation, housing, utilities, electricity, education, telecommunications, petroleum, irrigation, transport, and banking services.

Refaie noted that several governorates achieved high response and completion rates, notably Aswan, Port Said, Luxor, Qena, Fayyoum, Minya, Assiut, Sohag, Matrouh, Beheira, and South Sinai. The report also highlighted the system's continued prioritization of healthcare complaints and distress calls. Around 14,000 health-related complaints and appeals were handled during April, including urgent medical cases, treatment-at-state-expense requests, complaints concerning healthcare services, and cases related to the presidential initiative to end waiting lists for surgeries.

Regarding market regulation and commodity availability, Refaie said the system intensified coordination with the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade, the Consumer Protection Agency, and the National Food Safety Authority to ensure market stability and address citizens' complaints over prices, shortages, and product quality. The Ministry of Social Solidarity handled 11,200 complaints and requests related to social protection programs, including the issuance and reactivation of "Takaful and Karama" program cards, integrated services cards, and emergency financial aid.

Refaie stressed that the unified government complaints system continues efforts to develop mechanisms for monitoring and handling citizens' complaints through effective coordination with ministries, governorates, and relevant bodies, with the aim of improving public services and strengthening mutual trust between citizens and the government.