Review of National Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems: A case study of Thailand

Abstract

Vital statistics provide essential information for monitoring the progress towards achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Well-functioning and reliable civil registration and vital statistics systems (CRVS systems) are not only needed for national development, monitoring and evaluation systems, but also for organizations to plan and manage their operation and programs. Wellfunctioning civil registration systems are the best data source for reliable vital statistics. However, more than half of the countries around the world do not have CRVS systems or, if they do, they do not function well. The United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recognize and are aware of this issue and are facilitating member countries to evaluate and improve their CRVS systems. In 2011, WHO and the University of Queensland, Australia, developed a standard tool called, “Strengthening practice and systems in civil registration and vital statistics: A Resource Kit ”, in order to strengthen CRVS systems. WHO and many UN organizations, such as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), encourage and assist member countries to use this tool. CRVS systems have existed in Thailand for many decades, but have not been systematically evaluated. Therefore, an assessment was a key step to understanding the status of the current system and identifying areas that need improvement. The Thai Health Information Standards Development Center (THIS) and other key stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Public Health, National Statistics Office, and Ministry of Interior, came together to evaluate the CRVS system using the WHO Rapid Assessment of National Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems tool. This report outlines the methodology and findings from this rapid assessment. It contains three main sections: chapter one describes the background and history of Thailand’s CRVS system; chapter two describes the assessment objectives, the tool and evaluation process; and the final chapter provides an analysis of results and recommendations. It is hoped that the assessment will be informed Thai policy makers, administrators and others involved in CRVS of the system’s strengths and weaknesses and hope to gain their support for further system improvement.