Civil Registration
A child who is not registered at birth is in danger of being shut out of society – denied the right to an official identity, a recognized name and nationality. Registration of births and deaths was introduced in Liberia in the 1930s, but became legal through the enactment of the “Birth and Death Registration Act of 1971”, which made registration of births and deaths compulsory for all citizens. The system for recording births and deaths was set up primarily at hospitals. Births outside the hospital were recorded based on assumptions and description of historic events at the time. The system of birth registration was centralized from 1991 up to 2011, before decentralizing to all counties of Liberia in 2012. The highly centralized system in the past made it difficult for poor and rural dwellers to access birth registration, thereby placing Liberia amongst the countries with the lowest birth registration coverage in the world.
Ministry of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics is responsible to:
- effectively and efficiently register and certificate all births and deaths at the central registry.
- Ensure that birth and death registration applicant’s certificates are process, produced and received within the stipulated time frame
- Develop and ensure the use of standard and official birth and death registration forms and certificates
- Ensure that birth and death registration offices are equipped for permanent and safe preservation of all birth and death records received or made
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Departments
Administration
Subject to the authority and direction of the Minister, the department of Administration is responsible to carry out the following duties:
- administer the Ministry’s financial management system, including budgeting, petty cash management, financial accounting and reporting, and internal and external audits ensuring that they are consistent with the Public Financial Management law and regulations;
- administer the Ministry’s human resource management system, including recruiting, selecting, training, and retention, ensuring that they are consistent with Civil Service law, policies and regulations;
- administer the Ministry’s procurement of goods, supplies, work and consulting services, ensuring that they are consistent with the laws and regulations of Public Procurement and Concessions Commission;
- manage the Ministry’s general services, such as warehousing and accessing of goods and supplies; transportation and communication; power and water systems; and security and maintenance, ensuring that they are consistent with policies and regulations of General Service Agency;
- perform such other duties that are incidental to being the Deputy Minister for Administration of the Ministry; and
- perform duties that the Minister may from time to time, assign to the Office of Deputy Minister for Administration.
- Minister
- Deputy Minister of Administration
- Assistant Minister of Admistration
- Human Resources for Health
- Communication Unit
- Compliance Unit
- Minister's Delivery Unit
- Procurement Unit
- Housing Unit
- Infrastructure Unit
- Office of the General Council
- Internal Audit
- Office of Financial Management
- Transport Unit
- Information Communication Unit
- Warehouse Unit
- Mailing Unit
- Maintenance Unit
- Energy and Power Unit
Health Services
- Nursing and Mid-Wifery
- Non-Communicable Disease Division
- National Diagnostic Unit
- Neglected Tropical Disease
- Performance Based Unit
- EPI Unit
- Mental Health Unit
- Quality Management Unit
- Supply Chain Management Unit
- Pharmacy Unit
- Nutrition Unit
- Community Health Services Division
- County Health Services
- Health Promotion
- Eye Health
- Family Health Division
- CMO
- Bureau of Curative Services
- Bureau of Preventive Services