Parents who give birth at Kabutare District Hospital in Huye District say the registration of newborns at health facilities has significantly reduced the journeys they previously had to make to sector offices to access civil registration services.
The service is part of efforts to bring civil registration services closer to citizens, particularly mothers who have just given birth, allowing newborns to be registered shortly after birth.
Some parents who gave birth at Kabutare Hospital say that, before the service was introduced at health facilities, registering a newborn required them to leave the hospital and travel to the sector office, a process that consumed both time and energy.
One mother said the service has made the registration process much easier.
“Having the child registered here at the hospital helps us a lot because we no longer have to make additional trips to the sector office. Once the baby is born, the service is provided immediately, allowing us to return home with peace of mind.”
The parents also encourage other expectant mothers, particularly those planning to give birth at home, to seek antenatal and other health services early and consider delivering at health facilities.
They say giving birth at a health facility ensures that both the mother and baby receive appropriate medical care and that the child can be registered without unnecessary delays.
“We encourage other mothers to seek health services early and give birth at a health facility. When a baby is born at a health facility, their health can be monitored, and registration becomes easier. This also helps the country know how many children are being born and plan for the services they will need,” one parent said.
Vincent Karemera, a staff member at Kabutare Hospital responsible for promoting the registration of newborns immediately after birth, says timely birth registration is important not only for statistics but also for ensuring that children can access the services and rights provided for by law.
“Registering a child immediately after birth helps us follow up on the child throughout their life. It also gives parents access to services and benefits provided for by law. That is why we encourage parents to give birth at health facilities and ensure that their children are registered,” He said.
Adelaide Kayirangwa, the Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Kabutare Hospital, who also oversees civil registration services at the facility, says one of the challenges they still encounter is that some parents reach the time of delivery without having decided on the names they will give their newborn.
She urges parents to choose and prepare their children’s names before delivery so that registration can be completed smoothly and on time.
“Some parents arrive at the time of delivery without having decided on the names they will give their child. This can delay registration. We urge parents to prepare the names in advance so that once the baby is born, the registration process can be completed immediately and properly,” She said.
The registration of newborns and the recording of deaths in civil registration records at health facilities was officially launched in August 2020.
The latest figures published by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) show that the proportion of children registered in the civil registration system increased by 2.6 % points, from 90.3 % in 2024 to 92.9 % in 2025.
The Government of Rwanda aims to achieve a 100 % birth registration rate by 2030.
Bringing birth registration services closer to where children are born is considered one of the measures aimed at making civil registration services more accessible, increasing the number of children registered on time, and ensuring that the country has reliable population data for planning and service delivery.
