KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Floyd Green, says the first of the birth certificates under Operation BirthRight has been handed out.

The programme, which seeks to provide 11,000 birth certificates free of cost for undocumented Jamaicans with low income, kick started in Westmoreland on Friday, December 2, 2022.

“Operation BirthRight is the Government’s way to ensure that all Jamaicans are accounted for and that a birth certificate can be provided for those who are unable to afford one,” Green stated.

While making the handover to Tina Campbell in Beeston Spring, Westmoreland on Friday, Green reiterated the commitment that, “through the Registrar General’s Department (RGD), there continues to be tremendous support meted out to the most needy and most vulnerable in our society.”

“I thought it was important for me to come here today to do this handover to Miss Campbell, as this is the first birth certificate under the programme and a signifier of the start of another successful initiative,” Green added.

Individuals can be nominated for the programme by their Member of Parliament, the head of the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities, senior official in the Ministry of Local Government, a Justice of the Peace, a public officer, a medical practitioner, a minister of religion, among others.

“Once you are born in Jamaica, aged one year and above, you have a monthly income of J$37,000 and below, you are not currently receiving similar assistance under another similar programme, and is recommended by any persons listed in the Authorised Official List you are eligible under Operation Birthright,” Green stated.

The Authorised Official List is accessible on the RGD’s website.

The Minister is encouraging people to access and download the application form for the programme at www.nidsfacts.com or www.rgd.gov.jm and submit the completed form to any RGD offices islandwide for processing.

The RGD will also be printing and distributing the form at its branch offices.