Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System, Revision 3

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia02-05 December, 2014

Country Presentationby

Ghana

Current Business Process for the Registration of Births occurring in Institutions

Hospital/Clinic/Maternity Homes where

Local Registries are located and issues the Infant Birth Certificate

Metro/Municipal/District Office where the local Registrar processes

information received from parent

Also registration and issuing of Infant Birth Certificate

could be done at the Metro/Municipal/District

Office

Regional Office where the District Registrar submits data received from Local

Registrars

Central Registry where information from all 10 regions are put into the National Database and

Statistics compiled

Ghana Statistical Service where

Statistics from the Central Registry is

submitted

NB: Registration of birth is done as and when mother comes for Postnatal Care after child is named

Most Registrations cannot be done at birth due to the fact that child has not been named

Legal Framework does not compel health institutions to register births immediately the event occurs

Lack of Infrastructure Low Political Commitment

Major Bottlenecks

Desired Business Process

Hospitals/Clinics/Maternity Homes are automated with

Registration Facilities to register events immediately

they occur

Metro/municipal /District Registries equally

automated to receive information as soon as the event are captured at the

Health Facility

Regional Registry also fully automated to

receive the occurrence of the event

Central Registry also receive information to be able to check the

number of events that occurred

countywide by the end of the day

The Ghana Statistical Service, National Identification Authority, driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority,

Electoral Commission etc. can access information from the Central Registry

Strategies to Adopt An Automated System when put in place

will help register events immediately they occur

Revision of the Legal Framework to mandate health institutions to capture events as soon as they occur

Adequate provision of infrastructure Legal framework should commit

governments to provide funding for the establishment of the system