The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has taken a significant step forward in enhancing healthcare services and civil registration by suggesting the integration of hospitals and basic health units (BHUs) with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) for birth certificates.
A ceremony commemorating this collaboration was held at the Directorate General LG&RDD in Hayatabad Peshawar, where an essential memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Department and NADRA Islamabad.
Under the MoU, the LG department and NADRA will work together to provide efficient and accessible death and birth certificates at the village and neighborhood council level. To further streamline the process, the K-P government has also proposed the computerization of domiciles, aiming to expedite administrative tasks and ensure a smoother experience for the citizens.
The ceremony was presided over by the Minister for Local Government, Sawal Nazeer, who lauded the partnership between NADRA and the LG department, expressing his hope that the MoU would ease access to birth certificates for the people of the province.
He stressed the importance of addressing any remaining issues in death and birth registration services, particularly in remote districts and newly merged areas. The minister also emphasized the need for computerizing the service fee deposit process to promote accountability and transparency.
Furthermore, the Minister proposed that the domicile-making process should also be computerized to provide efficient services and facilitate citizens in line with relevant legal regulations. He highlighted the necessity of revising existing rules, particularly regarding the requirement of court decrees in certain time-barred cases, which currently poses difficulties for citizens.
The Secretary LG, Amer Afaq, expressed his gratitude to the NADRA team for their dedication and suggested that the government of K-P is open to adopting national or international best practices to enhance the civil registration and certification process in the province. He also proposed exploring ways to integrate the birth registration system with hospitals and BHUs for real-time data exchange, further improving service delivery.
The Director General CRMS at NADRA HQ Islamabad also conveyed his appreciation for the cooperation from the LG department and expressed confidence in taking this partnership to new heights. He assured the participants that the joint services provided to citizens through village and neighborhood councils will continue without interruptions.
In January of the same year, the LG department had initiated the establishment of citizen facilitation centers (CFCs) at the village and neighborhood council level across the province, including merged districts. Under this initiative, in alignment with the provincial government’s one-window operation policy, these centers will offer not only birth, marriage, and death certificates but also other municipal facilities from a single location. In a meeting between the LG department and NADRA officials, it was decided to connect the facilitation centers with NADRA’s database for improved provision of municipal services.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 31st, 2023.
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