STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING CIVIL REGISTRATION AND VITAL STATISTICS

STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING CIVIL REGISTRATION AND VITAL STATISTICS IN UGANDA 5 th December 2014 OWOR LINZ NYACHWO HELEN LAETITIA NVIIRI NAMIREMBE

Institutions • • Government hospitals Missionary hospitals Industrial hospitals Health Centre IVs Private hospitals not included as they are not registration Districts under the Births and Deaths Registration Act, Cap 309 Laws of Uganda

CURRENT BIRTH REGISTRATION BUSINESS PROCESS Live Birth occurs long birth certificates issued by URSB upon demand/request by interested persons Ward Superviser/In charge (maternity ward) is the notifier Short birth certificate is issued by Hospital administrator (in case of complete registration). Information is sent to the Records Unit/Dept for data entry on a daily basis Data is electronically uploaded on the Mobile Vital Records System (MVRS) and instantly transmitted to URSB database

Bottlenecks in the current process • Lack of a BDR policy • Numerous incomplete registrations due to lack of name of child. (due to cultural hindrances) • Financial constraints • Direct and indirect costs (materials, transport) • Unstable internet supply- affecting MVRS • Hospitals are not directly accountable to the Registrar General. • The birth registration data is not representative of the entire country. • Lack of political support. BR not priority

Bottlenecks cont…… • Centralization of services offered by the Registrar General. • High costs involved in obtaining a long birth certificate • Lack of awareness both by the public and by the duty bearers • High turn over of the duty bearers (principle notifiers and data entrants) • Existing manual records not synchronized with the birth registration data uploaded using the MVRS • Archaic laws

Desired birth registration business process Live Birth occurs Birth registration data used to inform vital statistics Ward Supervisor notifies of occurrence of birth Birth registration data is transmitted to by URSB to UBOS Data on births is electronically uploaded on MVRS and instantly transmitted to URSB database Long birth certificate issued by Hospital Administrator

Strategies 1. Sensitization and awareness campaigns 2. Advocacy for resource mobilization 3. Speed up efforts for develop BDR policy and comprehensive Civil Registration strategic plan 4. Law reform 5. BDR should be included as a key result area and should be part of the performance appraisal for the duty bearers 6. Decentralization of services.

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