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Thousands of unregistered deaths
RGD boss says negligent relatives failing to document their loved one's passing
BY COREY ROBINSON Observer staff reporter robinsonc@jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
THOUSANDS of deaths go unregistered each year mainly due to the negligent behaviour of living relatives who fail to follow the appropriate steps to officially record their loved one's demise.
The disclosure was made by chief executive officer of the Registrar General's Department (RGD), Dr Patricia Holness, at a 130th anniversary function at the agency's Twickenham Park, St Catherine, headquarters on Friday.
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| Dr Patricia Holness (left), CEO of the Registrar General's Department (RGD), presents a basket of goodies to Suzette Wright for her winning answer to a question at Friday's 130th anniversary celebration function at the agency's Twickenham Park, St Catherine, headquarters. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood) |
"The most outstanding challenge that the customers face is their inability to understand death registration. Individuals come here to us and they complain about the services when it is really not an RGD service failure," Holness said.
"They will have the funeral or thanksgiving service, (then) fly back to New York or Miami, go home to their houses and (would) have tucked away the burial order from the police. Whenever there is a violent or sudden death persons are not cognisant of the process in registering that," she explained. "We have persons coming to us with wills to be probated and the person who died several years ago their (death) registration had not occurred, and the individual standing in our offices have absolutely no idea."
Second to death registration hold-ups are the delays associated with customers who do not provide surnames for documents, and where mothers fail to register children who die within 28 days of birth.
Holness explained that in the case of a violent or sudden death, the registration process includes receiving a burial order from the police, acquiring a post-mortem report from the pathologist, and the requisition of a form deed from the Coroner's Court.
She stated, however, that after the problem is realised customers are assisted by a "death officer", who takes them through the process of registering their loved one's demise.
The CEO, in praising the organisation's accomplishments, said, "It has been a good journey, it has sometimes been challenging but I really give God thanks (because) when we look back at our successes, it is really worth shouting about."
Holness said she was particularly pleased with the growth of some staff members, particularly those who have been with the agency for more than 30 years.
Friday's function was part of the agency's 130th anniversary celebrations, which began on Sunday with a church service and will end next March with a celebration dinner.
The function, which was held in the reception area, came as a surprise to some customers who were going about their businesses. Nevertheless, the roomful of clients participated in the various quizzes and helped themselves to refreshments provided for the occasion.
"It's been really good so far. They are doing a good job. That (130 years) is a really long time to be around, that shows the good job they are doing," said Caroline Wright, who went to apply for a birth certificate.
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