Tamale: The Births and Deaths Registry (BDR) has commenced a pilot research initiative in the Greater Tamale Area aimed at investigating and documenting the reasons behind the low registration of deaths in the country. This initiative seeks to enhance death notification processes within the region.
According to Ghana News Agency, the two-month research is being conducted in collaboration with academic researchers from the International Growth Centre and Boston University. The BDR will gather data from 27 public, community, family, and private cemeteries across the Tamale, Savelugu, Kumbungu, Tolon, and Mion Assemblies. Mr. Samuel Adom Botchway, Acting Registrar of the BDR, announced this at a workshop in Tamale, which marked the launch of the research and training for stakeholders involved in the exercise. This effort is part of a broader initiative to improve death registration data and coverage nationwide.
The workshop included participants such as cemetery managers, Chiefs, and Imams. Statistics from the BDR indicate a declining trend in death registration across the country, with the situation being particularly severe in the Northern Region. Contributing factors include uncontrolled burial grounds, cultural and religious norms, lack of public awareness, and delays in obtaining medical certificates and coroner reports.
Mr. Botchway emphasized the importance of registering every death to ensure accurate data for national planning and development. He noted that the research would establish a framework for improving death registration in Ghana. He also called on Imams, Chiefs, and community leaders to support the BDR in enhancing death registration efforts in the region.
Dr. Henry Telli, Senior Country Economist at the International Growth Centre, highlighted that the research partners would collaborate with cemetery managers to compile data on burials, aiming to determine the actual death rates.
Sheikh Abdul Mumin Dalhu, Zongo Chief and Chief Imam of the Shia Community, pointed out that the cumbersome registration process and religious misinterpretations, especially among Muslims who bury their dead immediately, contribute to low registration numbers. He urged the BDR to expedite the registration process and collaborate with Muslim community leaders to raise awareness about the importance of registering deaths.
Additionally, a representative of the Gulkpe-Naa, Paramount Chief of the Gulkpegu Traditional Area in Tamale, stressed the need to accelerate the registration procedures.
