Enugu State Government has directed the stoppage of individual issuance of birth certificates in the state and urged hospitals to go through the National Population Commission (NpopC).
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Fintan Ochin gave the directive in Enugu on Thursday at a forum organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The commissioner directed hospitals and churches that use their individual names, to rather issue delivery reports to parents.
“I will direct them to stop issuing individual birth certificates but rather issue delivery reports to parents.
“They will, as a matter of the essence of birth registration, further direct parents to go through NpopC which is the recognised body for such exercise,” he said.
In addition, Ekochin said the ministry would draft in the staff of NpopC during the training of N-Power graduates by the Africa Resource Center.
He said this would enable trained N-Power graduates to register births and help close the gap of inadequate NpopC birth registration officers.
The commissioner, who expressed dismay at the low rate of birth registration, assured of the ministry’s support towards increasing the registration rate in the state.
“This development is a sad one and I am not happy with it. Fortunately, providence has made this issue arise before our meeting with all health stakeholders.
“We will soon be meeting with all medical directors, matrons, patrons of the 500 public and private health facilities in the state.
Also, the Commissioner for Gender Affairs in Enugu State, Princess Peace Nnaji, emphasized that the issue of birth registration should be a collective effort of all and not left For NpopC alone.
Nnaji said all Liaison Officers under her supervision and located at each Local Government Area of the state would be mandated to draw support for the registration campaign.
She commended NpopC and UNICEF for organising the stakeholders meeting and said she was hopeful the meeting will yield positive results.
In his remarks, Dr. Hillary Agbo, the Executive Secretary of Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency, guaranteed that it would dedicate two health workers at all political wards to the course of birth registration.
He pledged that a circular would be issued to all head teachers to request birth certificates as a pre-requisite for child enrollment.
Other stakeholders that pledged commitment were representatives of the Ministry of Education, media, faith based organisations, NGO’s and traditional rulers.
Earlier, the State Director of NpopC in Enugu State, Mrs Ngozi Onyia, said the stakeholders meeting was organised by the NpopC in collaboration with the UNICEF.
Onyia noted that the essence of the stakeholders meeting was to chart ways of increasing birth registration and create public awareness on the importance of birth registration.
“We have discovered that we cannot achieve 100 per cent birth registration in Enugu State without the support of major stakeholders.
“There are several militating factors that have been hindering NpopC from achieving increased birth registration,” she said.
The director mentioned some of the challenges hampering increased child registration to be insufficient workforce and resources, lack of public awareness on the importance of birth registration and insecurity.
Others, she said, are lack of support from educational actors, lack of motivation for staff, socio-cultural beliefs, unimplemented policies and conflicting birth certificates issued by individual organisations and religious bodies.
The Chief of Enugu Field Office of UNICEF, Dr. Ibrahim Conteh, said the meeting was a milestone in efforts geared towards achieving 100 per cent birth registration in Enugu State.
Represented by Mrs Nkiru Maduechesi, a programme officer, Conteh stated that every care-giver is mandated by the law to carry out birth registration of children within 60 days of birth.
He said that the stakeholders meeting had provided the platform to deliberate on strategies for promoting birth registration of all under five children in the state.
Conteh said UNICEF was committed to supporting and partnering with initiatives aimed at strengthening the birth registration system in Enugu State.
The UNICEF boss urged the state government through its health, educational, welfare sectors as well as media, traditional rulers and faith based organisations to cooperate with NpopC in the area of child registration.
He said that with the cooperation of all stakeholders, the mandate of achieving 100 per cent registration for under five children within three months would be a reality.
Also, the Head of Department, Vitals Registration of NpopC, Mrs Anthonia Ezeh said the birth registration figure of under five children in Enugu was not encouraging.
She noted in 2016, NpopC recorded 49 per cent birth registration in Enugu State and 50 per cent in 2017 in the 17 local government areas of the state.
However, in 2018, a total of 62, 724 birth registration of under-5 children was recorded in 17 local government areas of Enugu State from January to August.
“This figure represents 14 per cent out of a total number of 445,470 which is the expected birth of under-five children from January to August.
“You can see that the figure has fallen drastically compared to previous years and even that recorded in other neighbouring states.
“Although, all states in Nigeria are still in the red zone pertaining to achieving 100 per cent birth registration.
“But even with this situation, Enugu is still far behind and who says we cannot come out of our present situation and be the leading state in birth registration,” she said.
Ezeh enumerated some of the benefits of birth registration to be eligibility for healthcare, employment, marriages, school admission and obtaining international passports and it was an evidence for inheritance.
Furthermore, she said, birth registration checkmated incidences of child abuse and trafficking and the first step in recognising a child’s inalienable rights.
The meeting which had in attendance 58 representatives of different federal and state ministries, media and agencies was tagged `Stakeholders meeting on 2018 Media Campaign for the Promotion of Birth Registration in Enugu State.’
(NAN)
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