Minister of Health, Dr Fenton Ferguson is appealing to residents of St Thomas and other rural areas which will benefit from the services of the Registrar General's Department's (RGD) mobile unit to make use of this opportunity.

Dr Ferguson was speaking Friday at the official launch of the mobile unit held in Port Morant, St Thomas. The mobile unit was obtained in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund as part of efforts to meet the regional goal of registering all children under five years old.

"I am glad that the mobile unit is going to benefit several under-served areas. Having a birth certificate allows every citizen a legal status. Not having one prevents them from exercising their basic rights as citizen and affects access to services such as education, employment and the justice system," Dr Ferguson said.

He said there will have to be added focus on the public education aspect of the RGD's work.

The RGD's main purpose is to support national planning through the production of statistical data and trends analysis relative to vital events.