Build civil registration, vital statistics systems
The World Health Organization Regional Committee yesterday called for establishing strong civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems for better planning to improve health status of the people.
Civil registration is the public recording of births, deaths, causes of death, and marriages, while vital statistics is the data deriving from such records that are essential for evaluating national progress and taking steps forward.
"We must make every life count by recording every birth and death. When each birth is not counted, then the denominator for nearly all health indicators is incorrect,” said WHO South-East Asia's Regional Director Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh at a four-day WHO regional conference that began at Sonargaon Hotel on Tuesday.
"A strong and reliable CRVS system is an essential tool for national planning across multiple sectors, especially in the health sector," she added. It is the key to achieving time-bound health targets, such as the millennium development goals (MDGs).
A health ministry official said Bangladesh would start a CRVS programme early next year with the technical assistance of Canada, World Bank and other development partners.
Meanwhile, WHO yesterday honoured Saima Wazed Hossain, daughter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for her outstanding contributions in the area of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).
Dr Khetrapal Singh handed over the newly-instituted accolade, “Award for Excellence in Public Health”, to Saima at a reception in the hotel.
Terming Saima Hossain the driving force behind Bangladesh's leadership in advancing the cause of autism, Dr Khetrapal Singh said her work has contributed to the adoption of resolutions at the UN and WHO.
Saima is the chair of the National Advisory Committee on Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Autism in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Bangladesh.
The other recipient of the award is the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) of Timor-Leste that has made noteworthy contributions in controlling malaria.
Ministers, health experts and officials from eleven member countries--Bangladesh, Bhutan, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste--are taking part in the four-day event.
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