In accordance with its 2015 Annual Work Plan and within the framework of the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme, SESRIC organised the training course on 'Health Statistics' at the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Analysis (INSAE) in Cotonou, Republic of Benin on 20-22 April 2015. The course was conducted by Dr. Adama Sanogo Pongathié, MD and Director of Information Management, Planning and Evaluation Directorate at the Ministry of Health and Fight Against AIDS of Côte d'Ivoire, with the participation of relevant officials of the INSAE and Ministry of Health of Benin.

As defined in the Classification of Statistical Activities (CSA Rev. 1 - October 2009); health statistics – a statistical activity category under the Social and Demographic Statistics domain – covers the health and mortality related statistical activities, including topics like life expectancy, health status, health and safety, health determinants (including lifestyle, nutrition, smoking, alcohol abuse), health resources and expenditure, health care systems, morbidity and mortality (including infant and child mortality), hospital admission, causes of illness and death, specific diseases (e.g. AIDS), disabilities, pharmaceutical consumption and sales, health personnel, remuneration of health professions, environmental health status, health inequality, health accounts.

The training course on 'Health Statistics' featured case studies and focused on the following topics:

• Health System and National Health Management Information System (NHIMS)
• Strengthening the NHIMS
  • Data sources
  • Basic concept of data quality
  • General principles on improving the Health Information Systems (HIS)
• Identification and Analysis of Health and Development Problems
  • Data demand and use of information
  • Data analysis, concept, presentation, interpretation, and database analysis
  • Framework to link data to decision
  • Information sharing and giving feedback
• Health Planning
  • Definitions and concepts
  • Indicators
  • Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) concepts
  • Project planning and monitoring framework
  • Case studies

Sign up for an account at OIC-StatCom Forum (http://forum.sesric.org/) to join the group discussion on the training course on Health Statistics' in Benin available at: http://forum.sesric.org/?p=5

For other activities of the Statistics and Information Department within the Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme, please visit: http://www.oicstatcom.org/statcab.php

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