By S.Browne. Updated 1:17 p.m., Tuesday, June 23, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has begun steps towards the gradual introduction of digital birth registration, with the rollout of a bedside registration process at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) in Kingstown as part of wider public sector modernisation efforts.
The initiative forms part of the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project and is aimed at improving efficiency in civil registration services, reducing administrative delays, and strengthening the accuracy and security of national records.
At the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, the bedside registration process is currently being implemented, allowing registration officers to capture newborn details directly from mothers before discharge. The approach removes the previous requirement for parents to visit the Civil Registry after leaving hospital, a practice officials say often resulted in delayed or missed registrations.
Registration Officer at the Civil Registry, Ms Karissa Samuel explained that officers now attend mothers at the bedside to complete the registration process on site.
“Before, they would come to the registry, the Civil Registry, to have the baby registered,” she said. “Sometimes people wouldn’t come within the timeframe that they should.”
She noted that while the current process still involves some paper-based documentation, it forms part of a broader transition towards a more digital system.
“It will be quicker. It will eliminate a lot of late registration that we’ve been having,” Ms Samuel said. “It will be cost-effective as well for the department and for the government on a whole.”
Ms Samuel, who has worked in the field for approximately 15 years, said the previous pen-and-paper system required extensive manual processing and repetitive administrative work, which the new approach is intended to reduce.
The project is being implemented under the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project’s Civil Registry Unified Identification (CRUID) initiative. Project IT Officer for the programme, Mr Omar Wyllie said the bedside registration process forms part of a phased transition towards full digitisation.
He explained that the current system remains largely paper-based but is being used as an interim step while a digital platform is developed and rolled out.
“Eventually, we will move to a more digital process,” he said. “The intention is to allow registrations to be done electronically at the bedside using devices such as tablets or laptops.”
Mr Wyllie added that full digitisation would allow for greater integration between government databases, improving efficiency in areas such as record updates and inter-agency data sharing.
He further noted that the system would strengthen data security through centralised data centres and off-site backups, reducing risks associated with physical records, including damage from fire, flooding, or deterioration over time.
Timelines for implementation are currently being aligned, with the system expected to be ready for rollout by the end of this year or next year, followed by public awareness and operational rollout phases.
The system is being developed by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), described as an international firm, in collaboration with government stakeholders.
Officials say the reform forms part of wider public sector modernisation efforts aimed at improving service delivery, increasing efficiency, and strengthening the resilience of national records management systems.
Once fully implemented, the digital civil registration platform is expected to enable faster updates across government departments, ensuring more timely and accurate population data management across Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
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