The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has partnered with provincial governments to introduce a digital birth and death registration system across Pakistan’s hospitals and healthcare centres, announced on May 14, 2025, as part of the Uraan Pakistan program.
According to Dawn News, NADRA’s initiative, aligned with the National Registration and Biometric Policy Framework and supported by the World Bank, aims to modernise civil documentation, enhance governance, and drive economic growth through technology. It builds on NADRA’s earlier free CNIC policy for first-time applicants.
NADRA’s Digital Registration System
The upgraded Digital Birth and Death Registration System enables hospitals to register life events directly, ensuring real-time updates to the national database. This supports the Digital ID and Digital Economy Enhancement Project (DEEP), fostering data-driven development.
NADRA has signed agreements with Sindh and Balochistan, and plans are in place for Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
ڈیجیٹل پاکستان: ہسپتالوں اور مراکز صحت میں پیدائش اور وفات کی اطلاع کے ڈیجیٹل نظام کی فراہمی کا آغاز
سول رجسٹریشن نظام کو بہتر بنانے کے لئے سندھ حکومت اور نادرا کے درمیان اشتراک کا معاہدہ
سندھ کے سیکرٹری صحت و سیکرٹری لوکل گورنمنٹ اور ڈائریکٹر جنرل نادرا کراچی نے دستخط کئے pic.twitter.com/SrvxabvEGg
— NADRA (@NadraPak) May 14, 2025The World Bank’s collaboration ensures robust infrastructure, integrating smart features like those in NADRA’s recent non-chip CNIC initiative, which offered free first-time ID cards processed in 15 days. X users highlighted the system’s potential to streamline services, though some speculated on data privacy risks, necessitating clear safeguards.
NADRA Free CNIC Initiative
NADRA’s earlier policy, launched in 2024, provided free CNICs to first-time applicants, enhancing ID access with smart features like bilingual data and QR codes. This laid the groundwork for the digital registration system, ensuring seamless integration with national records. The new system’s hospital-based approach builds on this, aiming to capture all life events efficiently.
ڈیجیٹل پاکستان: ہسپتالوں اور مراکز صحت میں پیدائش اور وفات کی اطلاع کے ڈیجیٹل نظام کی فراہمی کا آغاز
سول رجسٹریشن نظام کو بہتر بنانے کے لئے بلوچستان حکومت اور نادرا کے درمیان اشتراک کا معاہدہ
صوبائی سیکرٹری صحت، سیکرٹری لوکل گورنمنٹ اور ڈائریکٹر جنرل نادرا بلوچستان نے دستخط کئے pic.twitter.com/jiSZGAyFMe
— NADRA (@NadraPak) May 14, 2025The digital registration system could transform Pakistan’s civil documentation, supporting economic planning and healthcare delivery, especially after the May 10, 2025, Pakistan-India ceasefire stabilised the focus on domestic reforms.
