Govt on track for 100% on-time birth registration by 2030

Efforts to achieve 100 per cent on-time birth registration in Fiji are showing significant progress, with the Ministry of Justice reporting that registration rates have risen to 47 per cent.

Ministry permanent secretary Selina Kuruleca said the rise follows a sharp decline during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when registrations fell to just 23 per cent in 2024.

This improvement shows the potential of focused efforts to increase access to birth registration, Ms Kuruleca said.

To enhance access, she said the ministry had opened registration offices in major hospitals so births could be registered immediately.

"The challenge is that many people delay registration until it becomes necessary, such as for school enrolment," she said.

Ms Kuruleca expressed confidence that the target of 100 per cent on-time birth registrations could be met within the next four years.

Digitalisation of Records

Ms Kuruleca confirmed that 80 per cent of record keeping at all Registry of Birth, Death and Marriage (BDM) centres has been digitalised.

"The issue is that a lot of systems are still manual, but we are collaborating with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services," she said.

A BDM office was recently opened at the Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital in Suva, with additional offices at Lautoka Divisional Hospital and other remaining divisional hospitals. Following this, services will be extended to sub-divisional hospitals to fast-track on-time registration immediately after a child’s birth.

She said delays in past registrations were often due to mothers devoting time to child care and rearing without giving importance to birth registration.

Examples were shared of people in their 60s and 70s finally obtaining their birth certificates after years of no registration.

Rural populations were particularly affected by low birth registration; however, decentralisation is being planned by the ministry to address this.

In Nadogo district, Macuata, the ministry plans to decentralise BDM services, offering weekly registration rather than once a month. District representative Ranadiceve Raluna said this would significantly reduce travel costs for families who previously had to journey nearly 50 kilometres to Labasa Town.