1. Registrar General’s Department Jamaica
Presenter: Deirdre English Gosse
Registrar General & Chief Executive Officer of the RGD 1

2. Table of Contents Overview General Register Office
Security Paper Features
Bedside & Online Registration
Challenges & Moving Forward 2

3. Executive Agency since April 1, 1999 Customer-service culture
Overview
The Registrar General's Department (RGD) is an Executive Agency and Jamaica’s sole repository of birth, death, marriage, adoption and foetal death records
Executive Agency since April 1, 1999
Customer-service culture
Innovations in services offered
Improved physical plant
Aggressive public education and information
De-centralization of services 3

4. Capturing of information at the bedside in hospitals
Overview
Based on the nature of the services provided the RGD has access to the general population through the following means:
Application processes for services - Mandatory need for birth, death and marriage certificates to carry social and business activities
Capturing of information at the bedside in hospitals
Change of name – Draft Deeds Poll and record all Deeds Poll 4

5. Online Application and payment facility at www.rgd.gov.jm
Overview
350 members of staff
10 Branch Offices
Online Application and payment facility at
Repository of over 70 million records dating back to 1660s
Produced over 8.5M secure certificates since 2001 5

6. General Register Office (GRO) Island Record Office (IRO)
Overview
RGD’S activities are governed by over 30 statutes
We have 2 main arms;
General Register Office (GRO)
Island Record Office (IRO) 6

7. General Register Office
Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Stillbirths
Provide updating services for original records (e.g. late registration, correction of error, addition of father’s particulars)
Provide certified copies of records
Compile and publish vital data to planning agencies such as the Satistical Institute of Jamaica to support national planning
Perform Registry Weddings
Effective Records Management for records dating from 1660s to present 7

8. Security Paper Features
. Certificates printed on security paper since
May 7, 2001
2. Deeply engraved “blind” embossing,
3.Watermark
4. Deeply engraved texts
5. Embossed latent image
6. Chemical sensitivity
7. Invisible imprint
8. RGD’s Logo
9. Microlines
0.RGD verifier – handheld device 8

9. SWOT Analysis
BEDSIDE REGISTRATION
As a measure to increase birth registration the RGD commenced bedside registration on January 1, 2007
Registration Officers and Assistants placed in all major hospitals and birthing centres across the island

10. SWOT Analysis
BEDSIDE REGISTRATION
The Registration staff effects registration of all vital events which occur in institutions :
Live births
Deaths
Foetal deaths

11. Births occurring outside of Institutions
Approximately 2% of births occur outside of institutions
Registrations are effected by Local District Registrars
Local District Registrars are strategically located and maintain

12. BEDSIDE REGISTRATION
As a special incentive to mothers giving birth, the RGD provided a “Free First Birth Certificate” to all babies who were named in hospital and to those born at home and registered within six (6) weeks of birth. A total of 280,000 such certificates have been printed by the RGD.

13. BEDSIDE REGISTRATION
Before Bedside registration was implemented the percentage of babies named at birth was as low as 31%.
To date 98% of babies are named at birth

14. Existing Bedside Registration System
Birth Occurrence in an Institution
Hospital capture mother’s information in a Labour Log book prior to delivery of the baby
RGD staff extract information from delivery book and track mothers by physical observation
Registration Forms are pre-prepared based on delivery log book
RGD staff interviews mother to complete the birth registration form
Ensures baby and mother match
Obtains mother’s ID for verification
Child’s name
Marital status of the mother
Father’s particulars
Signature of mother and that of the father if present
Completed copy of the original registration forms are submitted to branch offices for examination
Duplicate copy of the registration forms are kept in the registration book for one year
Examined registration forms are sent to the head office for data entry and production of first free copy if applicable

15. Online Registration Software written and tested
2 Information will be captured electronically and be submitted electronically to head office.
3 Will entail the capturing for additional information such as birth weight
4 Mother and if father is present will be required to sign electronically

16. Moving Forward Online Registration of vital events
Online verification through a secure web page, for key stakeholders
National Identification cards 16

17. Thank You! 17