The Civil Registry Department has began a two-week trial run of the ‘Bedside Registration’ Initiative at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital.

The Initiative is aimed at improving the accuracy and efficiency of registering births in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Deputy Registrar, Lekeicha Caesar-Toney said an official from the Registrar’s Chambers has been assigned to the Milton Cato Hospital in Kingstown to register the birth of new-borns.

Mrs. Caesar-Toney said that the trial run of the ‘Bedside Registration’ initiative will give the Registry a week to remedy any glitches in the system, paving the way for its implementation in March.

She said that previously, the Hospital would record the birth of the child, but the trial run will allow the Registry official to liaise with officials at the Hospital.

Mrs. Caesar-Toney also said that the Registry official will also be trained in the application of the Health Information System, an IT tool which would be used in all health centers across the nation to record data in relation to health. The two week trial run of the ‘Bedside Registration’ commenced on Monday February 11th and runs until Monday February 25th.