Naming traditions delay newborn registration
GEITA: CULTURAL practices surrounding the selection of children’s names are delaying the immediate registration of newborns in health facilities in Geita District, with some parents taking time to reach agreement on names.
Geita District Registration, Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency (RITA) Registration Officer, Ms Mwanne Abdullah said yesterday during an exclusive interview with ‘Daily News’ that some parents postpone registration as they wait to consult family members before deciding on names.
She said such practices have made it difficult for some newborns to be registered immediately after delivery, despite the availability of registration services in health facilities.
“Sometimes, parents do not decide on the names they want to give their children on time. They have to wait until they get home, consult the child’s father or other family members, and then agree on a name.
“The children who are registered immediately are mostly those whose parents had discussed and agreed on a name before the child was born,” she said.
Ms Abdullah said delays in selecting names undermine efforts to ensure that newborns are registered promptly and issued with birth certificates.
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She urged expectant parents to discuss and agree on their children’s names before delivery to facilitate immediate registration at dispensaries, health centres and hospitals.
“We would like to encourage parents to discuss and agree on a name while the mother is still pregnant. They should decide in advance what the child will be called, whether it is a boy or a girl,” she said.
She added that having preliminary information about a newborn, including the child’s name, would facilitate immediate registration and enable the child to obtain a birth certificate within 90 days free of charge.
Ms Abdullah said birth registration services have been decentralised, with registration now available at all Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) clinics in dispensaries, health centres and hospitals.
