The Tribune

IN A bid to stop fraud, the Registrar General's Department (RGD) will roll out a plan that allows mothers to register the births of their children immediately after having them delivered at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson announced the initiative during her budget communication in the Senate on Thursday.

"The RGD is keenly aware that there is a sector in our community whose births are not registered," she said.  "As this is a vexing issue that continues to get out of hand, the RGD is partnering with the Hospital Authority to share data collected electronically so as to minimise human intervention and reduce errors in the birth records.

"RGD, in an effort to promote efficiencies in death registrations, will allow for funeral homes to leave the morgue and register a death without having to leave the hospital. Death certificates can be issued at RGD sub office and lessen the time for release of bodies for burial.”

Mrs Maynard-Gibson said the government will allow Family Island Administrators to issue certified copies of births, deaths and marriage certificates on various islands.

“It is hoped to have similar services on all of the Family Islands soon," Mrs Maynard-Gibson said. "As a result of this initiative, residents of Grand Bahama, Abaco, Eleuthera, Cat Island and San Salvador will no longer have to travel to Nassau to get a certified copy of their births, deaths or marriage certificates, but simply go to the Administrator’s Office and request the same.”

The RGD is also in the process of reviewing all procedures relevant to filing, capturing and recording of documents so that the entire process can be digitally completed within five working days.

She said a review committee has been established, made up of private sector and RGD staff, to review the process for automation and to shorten the turn- around time for documents getting back to the agents or individual that filed them.

Highlighting the efforts of the staff of the RGD in the Deeds and Documents Department, the Attorney General noted that the time period for registering documents has been reduced from three months to roughly two weeks. She described this as a “tremendous” feat.