Don't take births and deaths registration for granted

The registration of the number of deaths and births provide critical information in helping the Government to know the population size at all times, even in the absence of census.

Mr. Stephen Ntow, Chief Registration Officer of the Births and Deaths Registry in the Western Region, who told the Ghana News Agency in Sekondi, therefore, urged citizens to value births and deaths registration and accord them the needed attention.

He said should citizens cooperate and register all births and deaths, the state actors would have concrete figures to plan the country’s economic and social needs.

The region, according to him, recorded 37,693 births out of which 19, 089 are males and 18,604 are females in 2014.

However, 1,221 males and 914 females lost their lives during the year under review.

Mr. Ntow explained that birth certificates could be used when applying for passports, school admissions, and employment, whilst death certificates could be used in claiming life insurance benefits or any other legitimate estates of deceased persons.

His outfit, he said, had intensified sensitisation programmes to enlighten the countryside populace on the need to register their births and deaths.