WORKSHOP ON IMPROVEMENT OF CIVIL REGISTRATION AND VITAL STATISTICS 1 – 5 DEC, 2008 BLANTRE,MALAWI

ZANZIBAR CIVIL REGISTRATION AND VITAL STATISTICS SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION The registrar general’s office is mandated with the registration of vital events and issuance certificate thereof (cap. 90 and 91 of 1953 law of zanzibar The Registrar’s General Office (RGO) responsible for vital registration

INTRODUCTION CONT… On the other hand, the Office of the Chief Government Statistician, (OCGS) is mandated by Act no:9 of 1999 (Revised by Act No. 9 of 2007). in which it is responsible for all official statistics in Zanzibar The Department for Social and Demographic Statistics (DSSD) of OCGS is responsible, among others with the compilation and analysis of demographic data.

Background Information The Registrar’s General’s Office (RGO) is responsible for civil registration The Office of the Chief Government Statistician (OCGS), responsible for population censuses, demographic surveys, and other related population statistics.

Background Information (Cont…) Population activities and registration systems in Zanzibar dates far back in the beginning of the twentieth century. The births and deaths registration decree Caps 90; the laws of Zanzibar is revised as Act no: 10 of 2006 and the 1936 marriage and divorce act (Caps 91; the laws of Zanzibar) were last repealed in 1953.

Background Information (CONT…) Past efforts were made with UNDP support, through its program of accelerating the improvement of vital statistics and civil registration systems (1982 – 1987). where the District Registrars’ Offices (DRO)and local registrar were established.

Background Information (Cont…) Facilitation of registration and issuing certificates thereof at district level marked improvement in registration. However, a number of logistics were not completed, and incapacities (both financial and technical) of his RGO left many activities unattended.

Background Information (Cont…) Vital statistics was, and remain to be an unattended activity. In 1992/93 SIDA supported the RGO vital registration process Equipped the district offices (with cupboards, typewriters, transport equipment, etc.)

Background Information (Cont…) Also providing training to Assistance Registrars (ADRs), the local Registrar and health staff responsible for vital events and ward leaders on how and when to register events The program terminated with marked improvements in registration (i.e. 75 percent of expected births and about one-half of all expected deaths); but again, no modalities were made in retrieving vital statistics.

Background Information (Cont…) In 2005 DFID through Strengthening Good Governance aimed at improving record keeping and data management practices, but these efforts were terminated prematurely due to the financial problems

FUNCTIONS OF RGO To carry out all registrations required under the relevant laws and to enforce the laws and ensure compliance thereof; To maintain registers, index books, data and records on registrations effected by the office and to act as a clearing house for information and data on those registrations;

FUNCTIONS OF RGO (CONT… ) To supervise, monitor and coordinate the performance of district registrars so as to ensure compliance with the set standards and guidelines and national plans and policies; To provide registrar, shehas, medical practitioners with such book and forms as may required, and with such instructions and directions, as he may consider necessary for the registration of births and death in their areas

Current Status of Registration Simple procedures for reporting births and deaths events where they occur (i.e. at home or at a health facility) have been developed. Each individual’s event is recorded in a separate form.

Current Status of Registration(Cont…) Statement of birth includes Date of Birth, Place of birth, Characteristics of the mother ( age, occupation, nationality, residence ), characteristics of the father, sex of the child, kind of birth (single ,twins)

Current Status of Registration(Cont…) Statement of the death are resemble with the statement of birth but the statement of the death include the particular of causes of death. In addition, the size of Zanzibar Islands and the number of local registration terminals (all district hospitals and 303 of its administrative wards – (shehia)) are sufficient enough to warrant full registration of events.

Current Status of Registration (Cont…) Filled-in forms from local registrars are sent to district registrars, where legal registration is made and a record kept in files (the original record is archived at RGO). Certificates (of birth and death) with references of registration are issued at request.

Current Status of Registration(Cont…) But, apart from adherence to core legal aspects (issuance of certificates, authenticity and citizen identification), nothing mentioned in the whole registration system about vital statistics from those registered events!

OBSTACLES Lack of fund for data processing particularly in equipments such as computers for data processing in the production of vital statistics. Low priorities of the government on the importance of vital statistics.

Poor coordination between registrar and the chief statistician offices OBSTACLE (CONT…) Budget constraints Budget is very low to certisfy the registration system Poor coordination between registrar and the chief statistician offices Both are independent government institution but operate separately.

OBSTACLE (CONT…) Gap in the birth and death registration law in which the responsible institution for vital registration has no responsibility to compile, analyze, processing and dissemination of vital statistic, the only responsibility is registers, store files and production of vital certificates.

FUTURE PLANS IN IMPROVING CIVIL REGISTRATION AND VITAL statistics production The office of the chief government statistician establish special vital statistics unit in the social demographic section.   Strengthening both RGO & OCGS in vital registration and data processing in general.

PLANS IN IMPROVING CIVIL REGISTRATION AND VITAL (CONT…) Training for local and district registrars will be provided and also for RGO and OCGS staffs Also dynamic website will be established

PLANS IN IMPROVING CIVIL REGISTRATION AND VITAL STATISTICS PRODUCTION (Cont...) Requesting fund from UNFPA in a three years project for Strengthening both RGO & OCGS. Though this project a Wide Area network (WAN) and Local Area Network (LAN) will be established . 

THAN YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION