By Asmau Ahmad
Thr National Population Commission (NPopC), says it had taken birth registration to hospitals for effective capturing of live and death deliveries.
The Director of Public Affairs of the commission Mr Mohammed Isah, made this known during an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
He explained that the commission had stationed its staff in maternity sessions of the hospitals in most local government headquarters for easier access for the parents to register their children.
He further said that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with some hospitals to collect information on behalf of the commission where the commission did not have a representative.
According to him, some hospital staff had also been trained on how to do the job.
He said by the time deliveries were made, forms would be distributed by the hospital staff who received the training and afterward, the commission’s staff would go round and collect the forms and issue birth certificates.
He noted that the essence of the exercise was to bring the service closer to the mothers and infants as well as eliminate backlog.
“We have had back logs and we don’t want it to accumulate that is why we are going nearer to where deliveries are made.
“The law says that a child should be registered at birth and within three months of birth and that is what the commission is trying to achieve.
“The exercise was not possible earlier due to lack of staff and recently we have the opportunity to replace those that have retired,” the director said.
According to him, the newly employed staff members were the ones posted to the hospitals to bridge the gap as well commence the issuance of birth certificates.
Isah noted that the new strategy had addressed past challenge of issuance of birth certificates to Muslim children because some of them named their children after seven days.
“We now collect the data of the parents and cue them in and that of the child will be vacant and will be filled in when he or she comes for the first immunisation,” he explained.
