Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix, on Saturday, reiterated the importance of birth registration to residents of Khan Hill, Barima-Waini (Region One) , a statement from the Ministry of the Presidency yesterday said.
Felix, who was among several Government ministers at a community meeting in Region One, said birth registration ought not to be taken lightly, as the document is essential to accessing health care and education and also gives a person their identity.
“It is important that the births of children [are] registered and when you register the birth you collect the birth certificate. The first certificate you get in this life is your birth certificate and it is a very important document. It makes you a person with an identity …you have a name. You can verify your name by your birth certificate. Next it gives you a nationality,” he told the residents.
Felix moments before addressing this issue asked the adults present at the venue whether their children had birth certificates; most responded positively.
He said some residents of hinterland communities do not view birth registration as important and this is reflected in the low amounts of birth registrations. In other cases, when the children are registered, their birth certificates are not collected.
Felix informed the residents that according to the law, a mother has one year to register her child after birth. Thereafter, there is a process called late registration. The Minister advised residents against utilizing the latter option, stating that it can be problematic if the person(s) who witnessed the birth is unavailable.
Meanwhile, residents raised several issues with Felix, who in turn, informed that he will communicate same to the subject ministers to have the challenges addressed.
