Dear Editor,

Jamaicans have raised numerous issues with respect to the Registrar General Department’s tardiness in the delivery of requested documents, resulting in an extended cessation of our lives while we wait in what seemingly is an eternity.

With my patience tried and tested, I must bring to your attention my heart-rending situation resulting from my recent encounter with the RGD. In August 2009, I applied and paid online for my birth certificate. As I had no real urgency at the time, I decided to use the regular method of delivery which I generously estimated at about three months. In November 2009 after receiving no form of communication, I submitted on online query to my application – a feature I was happy to know the RGD had introduced in its efforts to move with technology and expand its level of client satisfaction. Lo and behold, no response mail was received to which I followed up with another application query in December 2009. Again I got no response.

In January 2010, I made several daily calls to the department only to be told that the record was located but no information was contained therein. With no explanation given as to why my online queries were not responded to or a reason why the problem was not communicated to me, I then asked what could be done at this point given that we were five months into the application process. To my dismay, I was asked to visit the nearest RGD office, take a number to speak with someone and provide a copy of my old certified birth certificate. With much disgust, I did what was requested of me and was assured by the representative that due to the lengthy period that had passed, I should be getting the certificate in about two weeks. That was early February; we are now in April.

My daily calls continued and each time the attending representative could read the system logs made with respect to my calls and notations made, but there was no word on the delivery of the birth certificate.

Since February 2010 to my last call on April 1, 2010, I was told on all occasions that the certificate was in the printery department. Does it take over four weeks to print a certificate? I have made several requests to speak with the supervisor but to date have received no response.

This sort of customer service or the lack thereof is unacceptable and this letter to the relevant authorities is a strong request to rectify this issue as I have put my life on hold for far too long. “To become one of the most efficient and effective agencies”: this ironically is the RGD’s proclaimed vision which perhaps may not be realised in my lifetime. The nation’s repository continues to be tardy in its delivery, and this deporable service needs to stop.

Patrich Dinnall

Patrich_kar@yahoo.com