By Sainabou Sambou
The Ministry of Health has received digital technical equipment including computers, laptops, and scanners among others for the registration of births and deaths in the country.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony, Lamin B Fatty Registrar of births and deaths said civil registration started in The Gambia around 1889 and since then they have been recording the births and deaths.
He gave the historical background of births and deaths registration in the country which he said started in Banjul city formerly called Bathurst saying “it was after 1965 that it becomes the responsibility of the State to work on it so that all Gambians be registered and issue birth certificate. And it was decentralized in 1996 whereby provincial people were given the authority to register in their area and be issued birth certificate.”
He noted that they have improved on the accessibility and affordability as they currently have 74 registration centres in the country, disclosing that registration of births is free but above 5 is a token.
He added that the Ministry is now transforming the birth registration from manual to digital.
However the Registrar disclosed that The Gambia is part of the EU that has signed declarations to ensure that civic registration should be a vital tool that the government can use.
Dr Samuel Mills said a birth certificate provide a proof of age, have access to essential services whether is health care or social protect service and self-education. He added that it also helps and as well protect child marriage because with a birth certificate you can ascertain the age of an individual who is going to marry.
Muhammed Lamin Jaiteh said the country has maintained birth and death registration manually which without challenges, the imperfection and simplicity of documentations human errors it has pounder the minds of official in the Ministry of Health.