Thailand's mid-decade goals for children : monitoring and evaluation programme phase 1: national monitoring and evaluation system and current mid-decade goals status

Abstract

The study included a critical scrutiny in all aspects of the information system including personnel involved, data collection forms, compilation procedures, utization, and reporting system up the hierarchy from sub-district to the national level and a review on the most up-date data of the 10 Mid-Decade Goals. Conclusions are that there are enormous workload and redundancy in the system and the data are predominantly activities or output related rather than effect or impact information. The systems are also characterized as "vertical" and "compartmentalized" more than "horizontal" and "integrated" and, in many areas, information generated have questionable validity and reliability. Utility from the huge information system is inadequate especially at the provincial level and currently fails to cope with the dynamicity of the present situation. However the system has its strength in terms of coverage, manpower involved, and the potential to utilize computer technology. Among many types of information systems the most up-to-date one is the daily diseases surveillance system which include diseases ralated to 6 of 10 goals. The system is most beneficial for polio, tetanus and other rare but fatal diseases. However, for common diseases like that measles, diarrhea and ARI, the system has not been utilized to its full potential. The highly achievable goals are the eradication of poliomyelitis, the maintenance of a high level of immunization coverage and the elimination of iodine deficiency disorders. The probable achievable goals include the elimination of vitamin A deficiency and its consequences, the empowerment of all women to breastfeed their children, the reduction of iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women, the reduction in the deaths due to acute respiratory infections and the elimination of neonatal tetanus. However, the reduction of measles morbidity and the reduction of diarrhea cases and deaths in children under the age of five years by increase ORT user rate have an unlikely achievement prospect.