Analyst presents findings on bottlenecks in birth registration

Aaron Humes: Imagine being born without an identity. Can you live without the modern conveniences of school, immunization, or even family? You’re not really you, because there is no you.

After the miracle of birth, a mother’s first task following breastfeeding and presenting her new child to her relatives and friends is to give that child a name and identity. Such identities are officially registered with the Vital Statistics Unit of the General Registry.

While approximately 94 percent of all births are registered, complaints have been made about how slow the process can be.

According to UNICEF-appointed consultant Patricia Holness, while parents are ultimately responsible for registering births, the Government must use all means at its disposal to not only secure that registration, but also store it in an accessible manner.

Registrar General Velda Flowers said the process has been made easier and faster by technology, allowing the Unit to respond to express services within the day if needed.

Any delays are only caused in special circumstances.

But Holness says room can be made for bedside registration to give the new child the best start to life.

 

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