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This country’s legal measures were reviewed by our legal staff in consultation with in-country lawyers and/or CRVS legal experts. All efforts were made to ensure the accuracy of the legal analysis, however, if you consider there to be any discrepancies or if there have been changes in the law of the country since our staff last updated the legal analysis, we welcome any additional information or insights. Please contact us via this form.
Role of the Health Sector
Uganda
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Birth Registration
Declaration and Notification
Informants
Who is designated as the primary informant for births occurring in health facilities?
Either parent
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The informant is the person who reports to the local registrar the occurrence of a vital event within the prescribed time limit. The law should establish, clearly and unequivocally, one person primarily responsible for providing the information needed for birth registration to the civil registrar. The head of the health facility should be the primary informant for live births occurring in a health facility. Alternative informants, in order of priority, are: mother, father, nearest relative of the mother, any adult having knowledge of the facts. Additionally, the legislation should explicitly state what type of facility is considered a “health facility” for purposes of being an informant.
The Registration of Persons Act places the primary duty to notify a birth on the child’s father and mother, followed in their absence (in cases other than births at home) by the guardian or the person having charge of the child. Where a birth occurs in a hospital, the officer in charge of that hospital must ensure that the parents, guardian or person having charge of the child notifies a registration officer of the birth. A wide range of health facilities (government hospitals, health centers and other government health facilities as well as licensed private health facilities) have been designated as registration centers in terms of the Act, so the notification of a birth that occurs at any of these facilities can be made at that facility.
Birth Registration
Declaration and Notification
Role of the Health Sector
What is the role of the health sector in birth registration for births occurring outside health facilities?
None
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
For births that occur outside a health facility, the most effective approach is to designate the birth attendant - e.g., doctor, nurse, or midwife - as the informant. For births occurring outside a health facility without a birth attendant, an effective approach is to designate community health workers (including vaccination workers, nurses, doctors and other health professionals who see newborns for paediatric visits) as informants to register the birth of children that are unregistered and visited by them. Alternatively, some countries follow a two-step process, wherein the healthcare workers notify the birth to the civil registrar; however, the parent or other informant must still declare the birth to the civil registrar in order to register the birth.
The law does not refer to any role for the health sector in respect of births occurring outside health facilities and without a birth attendant.
Law Source
What is the role of the health sector in birth registration for births occurring in health facilities?
Registration
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
For births occurring in health facilities, the most effective approach is to designate the head of the institution (or designee) as informant. Some countries follow a two-step process, in which the health sector notifies the registrar of the birth (providing some, but no all, needed information), but he parents must still declare the birth to the registrar in order for the birth to be registered. This two-step approach is considered less effective in ensuring high registration rates. In some countries, the health sector is neither informant nor notifier, but instead simply issues a document to the parent(s) that serves as proof of the birth. The health sectors limited role in this third option is not recommended practice. Finally in some countries, specified health staff may be designated as registrars or assigned some registrar functions, which helps bring registration closer to the people.
Certain health facilities (government hospitals, government health centers and other government health facilities as well as licensed private health facilities) have been designated as registration centers in terms of the Act. For other medical facilities, the administrator of the medical facility acting under the guidance of the registration officer of the area, must record the particulars of a birth notified at that medical facility and forward the records of the notification to the National Registration and Identification Authority. A “medical facility” is defined as including a hospital, registered medical clinic, health unit, nursing home, maternity center, or specialized establishment, whether private or public, as well as a government unit of a similar nature. Where a birth occurs in a hospital, the officer in charge of that hospital has a duty to ensure that the parents, guardian or person having charge of the child notifies the birth.
