Morbidity and Mortality Surveillance in South East Asian Region (SEAR)

Routine Health Information System

  In all member countries in SEAR, a routine health information system helps to collect disease-specific morbidity data and most mortality and morbidity data are hospital based.

 Many countries use a standardized protocol for data collection and quality control procedures. Morbidity and mortality data are obtained from routine health information systems. They are used for Non-Communication Disease (NCD) prevention and control.

  50% of disease-specific registries are national-level registries and others are hospital-based, which are an important source of morbidity and mortality data. NCDs disease-specific registries have been most commonly established for cancer, followed by diabetes and stroke.

  Maldives has no disease registry except for thalassemia. Myanmar and Timor- Leste have not yet been reported on registries.

Number of disease registries reported by Member countries, South-East Asia Region

  Bangladesh is the first country in the Region to establish a National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC) under the Bloomberg Initiative and it has mobile courts to enforce tobacco control law across the country and take action of violations of the law.

  Since mortality and morbidity surveillance systems are largely hospital-based, they have certain limitations.

  In the region, for estimation of incidence rates, disease patterns and survival rates, population-based disease registries are needed that are lacking.

  Technical expertise and resource intensive are needed for the management of disease registries.