Ward recorders back on govt radar

THE Government is looking at bringing back ward recorders in under a reform to modernise management of data and vital civil statistics, acting Registrar-General Michael Kumung says.
Kumung told The National yesterday that the Government had approved a concept to re-establish ward recorders and that would be captured through a review of the PNG Civil Registration Act 1962.
Kumung said ward recorders would be available in every ward in districts to record every vital event that took place in society and provide that information on a timely basis through appropriate established systems and processes to central agencies of the Government for planning, resource allocation and service delivery.
“Every birth and death, the number of population in each ward, the service that is available there, their needs and challenges – all these must be recorded and that information must be able to reach the central agencies of Government,” he said.
“Currently, we don’t have that sort of arrangements which are very vital for planning and that’s why we are looking at re-establishing ward recorders in all local governments.
Kumung said the PNG Civil and Identity Registry Office had started the step by partnering with Bloomberg Philanthropies, a United States-based non-governmental organisation to provide training on process mapping for data to senior officers.