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Role of the Health Sector
Uganda
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Birth Registration
Declaration and Notification
Informants
Who is designated the primary informant for births occurring in health facilities?
Either parent
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The law should establish clearly and unequivocally one person primarily responsible for providing the information needed for the registration. Moreover, the law may designate alternative informants and establish the order in which each of them must assume his or her responsibilities. The head of the health facility should be the primary informant for live births occuring in a health facility. The law should also explicitly state what type of facility is considered a “health facility” for purposes of birth registration.
The Registration of Persons Act places the primary duty to notify a birth on the child’s father and mother, followed in their absence (in cases other than births at home) by the guardian or the person having charge of the child. Where a birth occurs in a hospital, the officer in charge of that hospital must ensure that the parents, guardian or person having charge of the child notifies a registration officer of the birth. A wide range of health facilities (government hospitals, health centers and other government health facilities as well as licensed private health facilities) have been designated as registration centers in terms of the Act, so the notification of a birth that occurs at any of these facilities can be made at that facility.
Birth Registration
Declaration and Notification
Role of the health sector
What is the role of the health sector in birth registration for births occurring in health facilities?
Registration
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
For births occurring in health facilities, the most effective approach is to designate the head of the institution (or designee) as informant. Some countries follow a two-step process where the health sector notifies the registrar of the birth, but the registration must be completed by the parents. This approach is considered less effective in ensuring high registration rates. An informant requires a "proof of event" to register a birth. In two-step systems, when a live birth occurs in a health facility, or in the community under the care of a health professional or of which a health professional is aware, this proof of occurrence of a vital event is a document signed by health sector staff.
Certain health facilities (government hospitals, government health centers and other government health facilities as well as licensed private health facilities) have been designated as registration centers in terms of the Act. For other medical facilities, the administrator of the medical facility acting under the guidance of the registration officer of the area, must record the particulars of a birth notified at that medical facility and forward the records of the notification to the National Registration and Identification Authority. A “medical facility” is defined as including a hospital, registered medical clinic, health unit, nursing home, maternity center, or specialized establishment, whether private or public, as well as a government unit of a similar nature. Where a birth occurs in a hospital, the officer in charge of that hospital has a duty to ensure that the parents, guardian or person having charge of the child notifies the birth.
What is the role of the health sector in birth registration for births occurring outside health facilities?
None
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
For births occurring outside a health facility and without a birth attendant, an effective approach for birth registration would be if the law designated health workers (including vaccination workers, nurses, doctors and other health professionals who see newborns for paediatric visits) as informants to register the birth of children that are unregistered and visited by them. If health workers (such as vaccination workers, doctors, nurses) see an unregistered infant, they can use the opportunity to register the child or assist with the registration process. Legislation should allow for health workers to act as informants or notifiers in these circumstances.
