CSOs urge govt to make health facilities primary informants for birth, death registration

The demand came at a meeting organised by Nari Maitree, a women-led social justice organisation, at the Azimur Rahman Conference Hall, The Daily Star Centre, Dhaka on 12 Aug. Photo: Courtesy

Civil society organisations (CSOs) have called on the government to amend the Birth and Death Registration Act, 2004, to designate healthcare facilities as primary informants for births and deaths in Bangladesh.

The demand came at a meeting organised by Nari Maitree, a women-led social justice organisation, at the Azimur Rahman Conference Hall, The Daily Star Centre, Dhaka. 

The event was supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, and attended by representatives from the Ministry of Health's Public Health Wing, the Public Health Foundation, UNICEF, Vital Strategies and other stakeholders.

Under the proposal, all healthcare facilities – including hospitals, clinics, maternity homes and community health centres – would be required to directly notify births and deaths to the civil registration system.

A policy advocacy memorandum signed by CSOs at the meeting will be submitted to the Chief Adviser, urging swift legal reform and clear operational rules to ensure timely and reliable registration.

"About 70% of births and 20% of deaths in Bangladesh occur in healthcare facilities," said Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, country lead at the Global Health Advocacy Incubator. 

"By linking these facilities to the registration system, we can significantly improve birth registration rates and secure legal identity for every child."

Only 49% of children currently have their births registered on time, despite relevant laws being in place for more than 150 years. 

Vital Strategies' Country Coordinator Md Moyeen Uddin said a complete, integrated civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system could even eliminate the need for a national census.

Public Health Specialist Dr Shah Ali Akbar Ashrafi noted that adopting global best practices, where healthcare providers act as primary informants, would make registration faster, more accurate and more comprehensive.

Nari Maitree Executive Director Shaheen Akhter Dolly stressed the need for unified CSO action to reform the act, ensuring no child is left without a legal identity.