Health information system The goal of the WHO South-East Asia
Regional Office's work in health statistics is to improve
country and regional health information. This information is
vital for public health decision-making, health sector reviews,
planning and resource allocation and programme monitoring and
evaluation. Civil registration systems are used to record vital
events – including births, deaths, and marriages – and have the
potential to serve as the main source of national vital
statistics. However, in many developing countries, civil
registration and vital statistics systems are weak or
nonexistent; as a result, key demographic, fertility and
mortality statistics are not available on a continuous basis and
do not cover large segments of the population. Vital statistics
are the cornerstone of a country’s health information system.
eHealth is the use of information and communication technologies
(ICT) for health. WHO works with partners at the global,
regional and country levels to promote and strengthe