Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance 2003-2011

Good Practices and InnovATIONS in Public Governance
dental services. The mobile units, which remain for two weeks in each visited community,
carry PCs that contain patients’ data. The SAC system comprises of 22 fixed
units, two Mobile Sac Documents units and nine Mobile Health SAC units.
The SAC was created to render services to everyone in a fair manner, and to eliminate
any form of discrimination based on social status, culture, race or religion. All
citizens have equal access to services offered by SAC, which are provided in an efficient,
timely and courteous manner. SAC has proven great efficiency with some
units attending to more than 10,000 requests a day.
State-of-the-art technologies and an innovative approach were used by the government
agencies involved in the project. An informational campaign appraised citizens
of the availability of the SAC services; it also provided information about the philosophy
and identity of the SAC. Surveys were conducted to find out about the adequacy,
design and standard of the services rendered. Communication was crucial for
the success of the entire process: the language used was simplified and customized
for each specific service.
Different SACs were created to address different community needs and their varying
characteristics. Provision of services was tailored to meet the needs of users in
both form and content. Special importance was given to the improvement of the
quality of service delivery and to innovative ways of bringing services to people
through new technology and partnerships with other agencies. These initiatives took
into account the needs of people in the remote areas through developing outreach
and community liaisons.
With a focus on human resources, the management board stimulated each state agency
to select the best and most motivated personnel. Training courses in human resources,
psychology and logistics, increased staff’s knowledge and efficiency. SAC’s
philosophy was integrated into the partners’ management system.
Over the years, SAC centres have become extremely popular with the public as they
provide an easy and regular, reliable access to services. The great success of the SAC
stems from the fact that it operates through mobile and specialized units.
The SAC technology has garnered praise and recognition around the world. Since
1997, 15 Brazilian states have implemented public services delivery centres using
SAC know-how or copying its model. Once implemented, positive outcomes, higher
levels of citizen satisfaction and greater efficiency in delivering public services are
readily apparent wherever these techniques have been adopted.
Other organisations have adopted SAC techniques, especially in the realm of customer
service. Satisfied users include the Department of Public Security and OSID,
an NGO providing health services.
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