Many wed abroad increasing late birth registrations

KUALA TERENGGANU - The increasing number of couples who get married abroad is believed to be one of the reasons for the rise in late birth registrations in Terengganu.

Terengganu National Registration Department (JPN) director Mohamad Nasir Kareem revealed that a total of 235 cases of delay in birth registration were recorded in the state from January to August this year.

He said that the number is estimated to be higher based on the record in the same period last year.

"Based on the record, a total of 286 applications were received for cases of late birth certificate registration throughout 2022 which was from January to December.

"There are a few more months until the end of December 2023 and we expect the cases of late birth registration will also increase based on the current situation," he told reporters in conjunction with the 'Menyemai Kasih Rakyat (Mekar)' event which was held simultaneously with the Independence Babies Celebration at the Mother and Child Treatment Centre (Priba) Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital yesterday.

Also present was State Health director Datuk Dr Kasemani Embong.

Nasir said that his party found that over 80 per cent of the delay in total cases were due to the 'carelessness' of parents or guardians.

"If parents register a birth after their baby is 60-days-old from the date of birth, JPN has to confirm that the baby is theirs by interviewing the parents.

"They also have to pay RM50 for the birth registration fees," he said.

According to him, most cases involved residents in urban areas who do not have transportation problems.

Hence, he said that the registeration department is now intensifying its efforts by implementing various initiatives to ensure that every baby born in the state is registered.

"In order to register the birth of a baby, parents do not need to bring their baby to JPN, so it is not a constraint for them to comply with the procedure because the guardian's representative can also do the registeration.

"The problem is when their marriage abroad is not registered and it is one of the causes of cases like this.

"In other cases or problems, help from the surrounding community is also needed to register newborns if the parents are not able to do so or have various constraints," he said.