Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo (5th left) lauching the MCHRBs
The Births and Deaths Registry (BDR) has launched and handed over the revised combined maternal and child health record book (MCHRB) to the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
This was in collaboration with the Public Sector Reforms Secretariat and sponsored by the Public Sector Reform for Results Project (PSRRP), a government and World Bank initiative.
A sensitization material developed for an awareness campaign and to empower individuals to take ownership of their role in the birth registration process was also launched.
Speaking at the launch, Senior Presidential Advisor, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, stated that the launch was aimed at enhancing data on infant deaths, with emphasis on inclusivity and identification of children born in the country.
He commended BDR for its improved performance in recent years, attributing their success to several factors.
These, he said, included decentralized operations, enhanced staff capacity through peer learning, the harmonization and digitization of registration systems, and the provision of logistics.
He mentioned that significant parts of the book had been reviewed and revised in line with the Project Development Objective (PDO) of the PSRRP and the new Birth and Death Act, 2020 (Act 1027) under their implementation.
That, he explained, had led to deepened collaboration between the BDR and the GHS in improving the notification of births and deaths.
“The collaborative effort of the BDR and the GHS under the Public Sector Reform for Results Project has produced nearly 1200000, copies of the revised booklet,” he said.
This, he added, would continue to serve the original purpose of pre-and-post-natal documenting.
According to the Acting (Ag) Registrar, BDR, Henrietta Lamptey, the citizenry play a crucial role in births and deaths registration, and the sensitization campaign aimed to educate the public on the importance of timely births and deaths registration.
Deputy Director of Reproductive and Child Health, GHS, Dr. Chris Opoku Fofie, disclosed that the incorporation of births and deaths notifications into the Maternal and Child Health Record Books (MCHRBs) marked the beginning of a robust birth and civil registration process.
He also emphasized that this would create an opportunity to improve antenatal attendance at health facilities as research had revealed that many expectant mothers do not frequently visit these facilities for antenatal care.