Sindh Makes History with Real-Time Digital Birth Registration in Public Hospitals

By: Aziz Khatri

 KARACHI: Sindh has launched real-time digital birth registration in major public teaching hospitals, making it possible to secure a child’s legal identity within minutes of birth through a fully online system.

The first live registration was completed at Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences (LUMHS) Hospital, Hyderabad, using a Birth Notification Tool developed by NADRA, which transmits data electronically from the hospital and removes delays linked to manual paperwork.

The reform, introduced under a tripartite arrangement between the Sindh Health Department, NADRA and the Local Government & Housing Town Planning Department, is the first major milestone of the province’s revamped Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) framework.

After an initial pilot launched in July 2025 in 36 facilities in Hyderabad and Matiari with UNFPA support, the system has now been extended to 14 teaching and tertiary care hospitals, improving certificate issuance, plugging documentation gaps and strengthening child identity protection.

Officials say the drive, led under the vision of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and directives of Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, aims to ensure every child born in Sindh receives a legally recognised identity as a gateway to health, education and social protection.