RGD to Digitise 2.4 Million Certificates

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Deputy Keeper of the Records at the Registrar General’s Department (RGD), Charlton McFarlane, says the entity is moving to digitise more than 2.4 million records as part of its modernisation process.

These include birth, marriage, death, adoption, and stillbirth certificates.

Mr. McFarlane, who was addressing a recent JIS Think Tank, said that the digitisation project, which started in 2023, is expected to be completed by the end of the 2024 calendar year and will improve the department’s overall efficiency and accuracy in record management.

“At the end of this process, the RGD would have transformed its repository from a paper-based to a digital repository and the efficiencies to be had from that is enormous. We will definitely see improvement in accuracy in terms of how records are created, transcribed and then converted into certificates. So, we expect to ease one of the main pain points that we have at the RGD as it relates to misspelling of names and so on,” he said.

Mr. McFarlane pointed out that by having a digital repository, the turnaround time for certificates to be produced and made available to customers will improve.

“One of the major challenges that we have is that for records that are newly created, it takes us perhaps three to four days for those records to come in and for us to process same and then to produce the certificates from it.

Having a digital repository means that we would eliminate that lag time between when a record is created and when it is cleaned, and in a repository for use,” he said.

Other benefits include reducing the time it takes to complete searches and make certificate applications via the department’s website www.rgd.gov.jm.

“A lot of our customers are familiar with the search process, especially for our customers who apply online. You need your birth entry number to apply online, however, many persons don’t necessarily know their birth entry number offhand and so the first step for most of our online customers who need to apply for our certificates includes applying for a search. With our fully digital repository, this search will now take a matter of seconds,” Mr. McFarlane explained.

Jamaicans without birth certificates will also be able to readily access information on their birth.

“For them to obtain a birth certificate, we need to do a more detailed search of our database where we actually go into our vaults and pull our [physical] records and sometimes, that search can take six to eight weeks, and even longer depending on the size of the district in which the individual was born. Having a digital database literally means that this search time will be cut from weeks to seconds, and that will enable RGD to be in a position to provide same day services for most our clients,” noted the RGD CEO.