CIVIL AND IDENTITY REGISTRY REVITALIZE BIRTH NOTIFICATION PROCESS

BY LETHISA KOLOKOL

THE Acting Registrar General for the Papua New Guinea Civil and Identity Registry (PNGCIR), Salome Bogosia-Keari says the CIR is slowing making improvements in its birth notification process, one of the most important processes for registration in Papua New Guinea.

Bogosia-Keari told the Parliamentary hearing on Child and Youth Welfare that after independence, the birth notification process died. However, when National Identification (NID) came in 2015, the idea resurfaced.

She said with new policies in place, CIR has partnered with the National Department of Health (NDoH) last year to integrate birth registration with health services.

Bogosia-Keari said initially CIR only had booths in Angau General Hospital, Goroka and Mendi. Through the recent partnership, they were able to set up booths at the Port Moresby General Hospital.

CIR has also partnered with all the Provincial Health Authorities in the Highlands region to set up registration booths in hospitals. Bogosia-Keari hopes that this year, they will expand to the remaining regions in the country.

“We have also signed with all the provincial health authorities in the Highlands region last year. This year, we will look at the remaining regions in the county and try to sign partnerships with them. The partnership is aimed at setting up a birth registration desk at all the hospitals in the country” she said

She stressed on the importance on awareness, urging medical professionals to educate mothers on the birth registrations.
She highlighted that the biggest challenge for the CIR is the out-of-facility births, where babies are delivered outside of formal health facilities.

The CIR Acting Registrar General says this will be addressed through a collaboration between all the data collecting agencies, including CIR, the National Statistical System and the Department of Rural and Economic Development, with ward collectors and civil registration officers working together to collect and sample data at all wards in PNG.

This collaboration revitalizes the birth notification process, enabling birth registration and National Identification (NID) to be issued conveniently.