Government and UNICEF are currently finalising a project intended to ensure that all births in far flung areas in the hinterland are registered, according to Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix.
Felix, in an interview with Stabroek News, said all that is left is for the paperwork to be completed before the project comes on stream.
The non-registration of births in the interior regions has for some time been a cause of concern. Over the years, a system has been developed where provision has been made for late registrations to be done. However, there seems to be many loopholes and there are concerns that the process has been abused.
Figures obtained by Stabroek News show that there were more than 19,000 late registration of births in four interior regions combined within the last five years.
Felix explained that the aim of the collaboration with UNICEF was to have a 100% registration of births and deaths. “We are very high currently in our registration of births. We are in the early nineties but ninety is not a hundred and in order to avoid the issues we have had earlier on, with people not being registered,