Experts have called for amending the Birth and Death Registration Act, 2004 to make hospitals and healthcare facilities legally responsible for registering births and deaths, saying the move would significantly accelerate Bangladesh's efforts to achieve universal civil registration by 2030.
The recommendation came at a journalists' workshop titled "Birth and Death Registration in Bangladesh: Progress, Challenges, and Way Forward," held at the BMA Bhaban in Dhaka on Wednesday. The workshop was organized by PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI).
Speakers said birth and death registration is fundamental to ensuring citizens' access to essential rights and services, including education, healthcare, inheritance, and voting. Accurate registration data is also essential for national planning, good governance, and evidence-based budget preparation.
Despite its importance, Bangladesh's birth and death registration rates stand at just 50% and 47%, respectively—well below global and regional averages. The government aims to achieve universal registration coverage by 2030.
According to the speakers, revising the existing law to assign registration responsibilities to hospitals and healthcare facilities would help the country meet that target while advancing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 16.9, which calls for providing legal identity for all.
The workshop highlighted that under the current legal framework, responsibility for reporting births and deaths rests primarily with family members rather than the healthcare system. Experts argued that involving healthcare facilities in the registration process could substantially improve coverage, noting that about 67% of children in Bangladesh are born in health facilities.
They also pointed to several countries across the Asia-Pacific region that have achieved universal birth and death registration by integrating registration services into their healthcare systems.
Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh country lead at GHAI, said there was no alternative to legally empowering hospitals and healthcare facilities with registration responsibilities if Bangladesh is to achieve universal registration.
Md Nazrul Islam, country coordinator of Vital Strategies, said strengthening the legal framework alone would not be enough without effective implementation.
He emphasized the need to address shortages of skilled personnel, technological limitations, and weak inter-agency coordination to strengthen the country's civil registration system.
Speaking at the event, Md Monir Hossain Liton, head of online (Bangla) at The Daily Times of Bangladesh, said the media should consistently highlight gaps in the registration process and the challenges people face in accessing registration services, adding that sustained reporting could help build public pressure for policy reforms.
A total of 30 journalists from print, television, and online media participated in the workshop.
Among the discussants was ABM Zubair, executive director of PROGGA, while Mashiat Abedin, coordinator of PROGGA, delivered the thematic presentation.
