Approximately 6,000 transactions have been processed at Bartica’s new Government Service Centre since it began operating in August, pointing to strong demand for easier access to public services in Region Seven.
The centre was formally opened yesterday at Zenz Plaza on Second Avenue, although it had already been serving residents for just over two weeks.
The one-stop facility allows residents to access services from the Guyana Revenue Authority, General Register Office, National Insurance Scheme and Immigration Department. It also provides enrolment for the Electronic Identification programme.
Before its establishment, many residents had to travel to Georgetown, Linden or other parts of the country to obtain documents and complete government transactions, adding transportation and accommodation costs to the process.
Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat said the facility is intended to remove that burden.
“Today, that heavy burden is officially being lifted,” Bharrat said, noting that several essential agencies are now operating from one location.
He said the approximately 6,000 transactions completed since August demonstrate how urgently residents needed those services to be delivered closer to home.
Minister of Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation Zulfikar Ally said the Bartica facility forms part of a wider programme to decentralise public services.
The government is also working to reduce the need for residents to visit physical offices by placing more services online.
According to Ally, the longer-term objective is to allow people to access documents—including electronic identification cards, passports, birth certificates and driver’s licences—from their homes.
That programme includes the rollout of digital identification, customer-service training and QR-code systems through which residents can provide feedback. Plans are also being developed for a single government application that would allow citizens to request and access services using their mobile phones.
The Bartica centre is one of several one-stop facilities being introduced across the country to reduce travel, waiting times and the cost of accessing public services.
