Two-thirds of low-income countries have established a standardized system to report causes of deaths. However, the SCORE Report highlights the urgent need to strengthen these systems to help the world respond to health emergencies and track progress towards global health goals.
The pandemic has highlighted that even the most advanced health and data systems still struggle to provide data in near real-time in order to act swiftly. The lack of data worldwide limits the understanding of the true mortality impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, undermining response planning.
“The pandemic has stretched the capacity of country health information systems around the world, as they must track both the disease and other critical health trends,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “The SCORE report is an important step towards better data, for better decisions and better health.”
Estimates show that 60% of the countries reviewed have a well-developed system for reviewing progress and performance of their health sector and only half have the capacity to monitor quality of care. Only 32% of the countries have good capacity for a national digital health strategy based on recommended standards.
Source: WHO
