Table 1 Comparison of legal framework and operational systems for birth and stillbirth registration
| Â | Ghana | Guinea-Bissau | Ethiopia | Uganda |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Legislation status | Registration of Births, Deaths Act 1965. Not linked to services | 1967 Civil code of registry. Birth certificate required for school enrolment, ID, Passport | Proclamations 2012 and 2017. First permanent, compulsory and universal nationwide system launched in August 2016 | 2015 Act amended. Certificate issued in 2 days and required for school enrolment, national ID, bank account, passport, driving licence, public service job, joining police and military forces |
Responsibility to notify birth | Parents, guardian, occupier of premises where birth took place | Parents, doctor, family member, village chief | Parents, doctor, family member | Hospital, sub-county chief, parents/guardian |
Documents required for birth registration | Biological parents’ ID | IDs of parents, presence of parents, birth notification from hospital, immunization card to verify DOB, Child name | Parents IDs, parents physical presence (unless for justified reason), Child name, DOB | Biological parents’ ID, parents birth certificates, child names, place of birth notification |
Charge for birth registration | Nil | Free for 0–7-year old. No fee for abridged certificate | Nil | Nil |
Charge for birth certificate | Nil | Fee detailed birth certificate | Charged | 5000 shillingsa |
Legal required time-frame for registration | 1 year from birth | 30 days | 90 days | No limit |
Late registration penalty | Yes, after 1 year. Fine not shown | Yes, 8–13 years and higher for 14 years and more | Fine 5000 Ethiopian Birrb or imprisonment up to 6 months | None for nationals |
Methods for birth registration | Electronic | Manual | ----- | Manual + electronic(computer/tabs) |
Enforcement of law | ----- | ----- | ----- | Implemented, but challenged with late reporting, corruption, lack of national internet coverage data transition |
Current initiatives to increase birth registration | From 2010 to 2014 HDSS staff notified births to district levels and encouraged mothers to register births during 1st month of life. Funding for this initiative ended in 2014. | UNICEF sponsors radio spot messages encouraging birth registration; however, there are no direct incentives to register. | Mass media and health worker campaigns to increase community awareness. No direct incentives to encourage birth registration | Some recent innovation using app-based Mobile Vital records System to register births in community and some facilities. |
Stillbirth registration | Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1965 requires registration of all fetal deaths. There is a separate register for stillborn children. | Fetal deaths (stillbirths) are not registered. | Fetal deaths (stillbirths) are not registered | Fetal deaths (stillbirths) are not registered |