Trilateral agreement signed to strengthen birth registration

In a major step toward improving civil registration services in Sindh, the Local Government & Housing Town Planning Department (LG&HTP), Health Department, and National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on Thursday signed a trilateral agreement to enhance and expand digital birth registration across the province.

Officials said that, under this agreement, the Civil Registration Management System (CRMS) and birth notification tool will be deployed in public health facilities, enabling real-time digital reporting of births from hospitals and health units directly to Nadra.

This integration will ensure timely and accurate registration of newborns at the source, eliminating delays and increasing coverage. The agreement was signed by Dr Waseem Shamshad Ali, secretary of LG&HTP, Rehan Iqbal Baloch, secretary of the Health Department, and Ehtisham Shahid, director general of Nadra’s Sindh Region.

The signing took place in the presence of Saeed Ghani, minister for local government & housing town planning, and Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, minister for health, government of Sindh. Both ministers reaffirmed their departments' commitment to inter-agency collaboration and the use of digital tools to improve citizen service delivery.

Also present at the ceremony were Kanwal Nizam, Programme Coordinator for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS), and the additional secretary of LG&HTP, who have played key roles in facilitating the implementation of this initiative.

This collaboration marks a significant milestone in ensuring every child in Sindh is counted and has legal identity from birth. It supports improved access to health, education, and social services, and contributes to data-driven policy planning.