ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: Data to PolicyDIP collaborated with Ministry of Health officials within the NCD Unit to produce the country’s first analytical report on the “National Policy and Strategic Framework for Prevention and Control of Chronic Non-communicable Diseases 2010-2020” (NCD Policy). This report quantitatively and qualitatively assessed the extent to which the implementation of the NCD Policy met its objective to reduce premature mortality due to NCDs in Sri Lanka over the past decade. Findings and recommendations from the report informed the implementation of the next 10-year NCD Policy and NCD-related programs in Sri Lanka.

Furthermore, six policy briefs that were produced through the D2P Program targeted NCD policy options. Many of the policy recommendations were included in the upcoming 10-year NCD policy and in some instances, programmatic changes have already been implemented. For example, a retinal screening program targeting primary care medical officers was initiated; the doctors were trained, and new equipment was purchased.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: Public Health Bulletin The DIP has collaborated with the Minsitry of Health to support capacity-building activities to promote the use of data for policymaking and provide public health staff with training courses and resources to improve public health information and its dissemination. Since Tanzania joined the initiative in 2017 trainings have been implemented in scientific communications and utilizing data to inform policymaking.

In 2019, the DIP worked closely with partners to launch a public health bulletin in Tanzania. Since that time, the public health bulletin has published eight issues and established a communications strategy to facilitate wide dissemination. Trainings have also been held to build capacity for authors to create articles for the bulletin and increase the pipeline for potential content.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: Data ReportsThe HIS Unit in the Ministry of Health and Medical Services is DIP’s key partner in the Solomon Islands. DIP supported the development of training needs assessment tools for the national HIS team. These tools were used to assess the skills gap in the provincial analysts which was subsequently mitigated through training provided by the national HIS team, with support from the DIP team. The course curriculum included reviewing DHIS2 outputs, producing health profiles, and disseminating quarterly provincial reports. More recently, the national HIS team took the lead in drafting the quarterly provincial profiles with feedback and mentoring support from DIP. DIP made recommendations for revising the reporting template and for further training. The DIP team also provided the HIS team with technical assistance to produce the annual health profiles for all ten provinces. These profiles are used by provincial health directors in developing their Annual Operational Plans.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: Analytics for Public Health PracticeData Analytics Workshop Develops New Provincial Performance Reports Provincial Health Information Officers trained in Papua New Guinea Data Impact delivered a training on Data Analytics in Papua New Guinea for provincial health information officers (PHIO) and managers from all 22 provinces of Papua New Guinea, and staff from the Performance Monitoring and Research Branch, (PMRB) of the National Department of Health (NDOH). Activities focused on how to communicate key findings from the data into statements about performance to support decision-making at the senior level. Focusing on a subset of key indicators relevant at the provincial level from the yet-to-be-released 2017 Sector Performance Annual Review (SPAR), participants developed a provincial-level performance reports on various indictors and plans for immediate distribution of their reports to decision-makers at provincial, district and facility levels.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: Data to PolicyThe Data to Policy (D2P) program has been well established in Zambia and is currently coordinated by the National Health Research Authority (NHRA). Following the D2P trainings held in 2019, NHRA hosted a Policy Forum where participants presented their policy briefs to stakeholders from the Ministry of Health and other impacted organizations. One policy brief recommended a food fortification initiative involving fortifying sugar with folic acid to prevent birth defects, and the presentation was attended by representatives from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, the Ministry of Health Food and Drugs Control Laboratory, and local sugar companies. The Ministry of Health will partner with the Sugar Association of Zambia to determine how to move the policy change forward.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: Data ReportsDIP supported the National Institute of Statistics (NIS) with the analysis of civil registration data for the province of Kep. Training on vital statistics report writing using civil registration data was delivered to NIS staff and attended by staff from the General Directorate of Identification (GDI) from the Ministry of Interior. Improved collaboration between NIS and GDI led to the sharing of civil registration data by GDI with NIS. Mentoring sessions were provided to the NIS team to support data analysis and report writing.

The government now has a vision of publishing national reports by 2026, recognizing the gaps that need to be addressed by then. The Ministry of Interior is working with the NIS and MOH to identify where and how these gaps have occurred in the civil registration system and to implement specific solutions. The Kep report has provided the evidence that highlighted these gaps and is serving as an advocacy tool when engaging with the National Steering Committee on Civil Registration and Identification.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: Data ReportsThe DIP team started working in Senegal early in 2020 with the Ministry of Health and Social Action, the National Agency for Statistics and Demography, and the Ministry of Territorial Communities, Development and Regional Planning. Activities had commenced at the start of the pandemic and support was shifted to supporting government’s COVID-19 response.

DIP collaborated with the Ministry to conduct the first two in-action reviews to ensure that lessons learned would be captured and integrated into response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first review focused on the initial management of COVID-19 cases and contacts and resulted in operational changes such as an increased reliance on community-based strategies. The second review included a focus on national leadership structures to the COVID-19 response and highlighted important communication and coordination challenges that were presented and shared within the response structures. This led to the development of a technical brief addressing communication within different facets of the pandemic response.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: CRVS Data UseThe team worked closely with the CRVS Program to establish a rapid mortality surveillance (RMS) system in the country, especially the facility-based system. Guidance was provided on how to conduct excess mortality analysis, which data to use to establish the baseline, what to consider in terms of data quality, and how to interpret and present the results. The results were presented to the National Mortality Surveillance Working Group, integrated into the COVID response led by the team at the Emergency Operations Center, and will feed into the Public Health Emergency Management system.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: Data ReportsThe DIP team introduced the National Statistics Institute (Instituto Nacional de Estatística [INE]) to the guide on producing vital statistics and worked with them to produce the first national vital statistics report. The report has helped to identify areas of improvement at the point of registration and processing the data.

The team is also working with INS to use COMSA data to develop specialized topical reports, specifically on the social determinants of mortality. This is unique to COMSA as other data sources may have data on the social determinants of health but not on mortality. This process provided the INS staff the opportunity to develop advanced conceptual statistical skills and software skills to produce vital statistics. Two analysis plans were produced, and the results will be disseminated in a mortality report.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: Data for Decision MakersThe DIP team started working in Senegal early in 2020 with the Ministry of Health and Social Action, the National Agency for Statistics and Demography, and the Ministry of Territorial Communities, Development and Regional Planning. Activities had commenced at the start of the pandemic and support was shifted to supporting government’s COVID-19 response.

DIP collaborated with the Ministry to conduct the first two in-action reviews to ensure that lessons learned would be captured and integrated into response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first review focused on the initial management of COVID-19 cases and contacts and resulted in operational changes such as an increased reliance on community-based strategies. The second review included a focus on national leadership structures to the COVID-19 response and highlighted important communication and coordination challenges that were presented and shared within the response structures. This led to the development of a technical brief addressing communication within different facets of the pandemic response.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: Scientific CommunicationThailand formally joined the D4H Initiative in January 2020 to implement the DIP to strengthen the existing activities in the FETP and the Weekly Epidemiological Surveillance Report (WESR). The DIP will build on existing Thai FETP D2P, SC curricula, and WESR activities. The main partner of the DIP in Thailand is the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH).

New SC training modules were developed on risk and crisis communications in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A virtual training utilizing these modules was implemented in Thailand in 2021. It covered topics including crafting persuasive messages, managing misinformation, writing press releases, writing for social media, communicating data to non-scientists as well as scientists, and engaging with the media.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: Public Health BulletinThe Uganda Ministry of Health (MOH) established the Uganda National Institute of Public Health (UNIPH) in 2013 to support and coordinate public health activities through public health research, outbreak investigation and reporting, scientific communications, and policy development. The DIP collaborates with the UNIPH to implement activities and trainings.

The UNIPH publishes the Uganda Quarterly Epidemiological Bulletin (UQEB), which features disease-specific updates, field updates, outbreak reports, surveillance data, upcoming events, and reports on meetings and conferences. The DIP team has worked with the UNIPH to develop a communication strategy, , a contact database, and webpage to produce, promote, and disseminate issues. Workshops were also provided on social media posts and press releases. A new UQEB was officially launched in January 2022.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: Organizational DesignThe DIP team is working with the General Statistics Office (GSO) to assist the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to implement the CRVS Systems Improvement Framework through the CRVS Program. The collaboration has further fostered discussions on the current status of the CRVS systems and is defining a desired set of procedures and processes for the vital statistics system. A technical note was developed that defines the details of appropriate technical interventions that the GSO has to make to ensure that the vital statistics produced meet the UN and other international standards. This note presents all aspects that are needed, including new data requirements, scenarios in terms of statistical data collection, it highlights the need to assess internal human and IT capabilities, and proposes enhancements in human resources and technology to meet the new demands. The technical note will be used to design and implement a new system for producing, disseminating, and managing vital statistics data in Vietnam.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: Scientific CommunicationThailand formally joined the D4H Initiative in January 2020 to implement the DIP to strengthen the existing activities in the FETP and the Weekly Epidemiological Surveillance Report (WESR). The DIP will build on existing Thai FETP D2P, SC curricula, and WESR activities. The main partner of the DIP in Thailand is the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH).

New SC training modules were developed on risk and crisis communications in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A virtual training utilizing these modules was implemented in Thailand in 2021. It covered topics including crafting persuasive messages, managing misinformation, writing press releases, writing for social media, communicating data to non-scientists as well as scientists, and engaging with the media.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: CRVS Data UseIn 2021, the DIP and CRVS teams connected with PUSKAPA, the Center for Child Protection and Wellbeing, a research think tank at Universitas Indonesia. This partnership facilitated collaboration with the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas), the CRVS National Secretariat (Seknas AKPSH), the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), and the Ministry of Health (MoH). In this phase, the DIP project is primarily focused on improving the analysis, production, and use of vital statistics. The work efforts are closely aligned with the CRVS Program to undertake a review of the vital statistics business processes and complete a legal review of the relevant legislature.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: Public Health BulletinThe DIP collaborates with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) to implement activities. In the upcoming phase, trainings are planned in scientific communications and data to policy. NICD also publishes a quarterly Public Health Surveillance Bulletin (PHSB) to disseminate information on communicable diseases and disease surveillance activities. Partners are working together to support strategic activities to strengthen the PHSB and trainings will be provided focused on how to write for public health bulletins, best practices in reviewing articles and data analysis.

ACTIVITY IN DEPTH: Data ReportsIn May of 2021, the DIP team collaborated with the CRVS Program and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa to lead an orientation workshop on the process for producing vital statistics based on civil registration records. The virtual workshop was attended by Zimbabwean representatives. The workshop introduced the country representatives to the Production of a Vital Statistics Report resource kit and produced a preparatory note defining the process for producing vital statistics.

The May workshop greatly motivated the team and was a catalyst to continue strengthening the vital statistics production process. In October 2021, ZimStat produced a draft of the 2015 vital statistics report and convened a meeting with stakeholders from the MoHCC and Civil Registry Department to present and discuss findings and advocate for improved vital statistics production processes. ZimStat plans to use the Production of a Vital Statistics Report resource kit to develop remaining reports, and DIP will support capacity development within the agencies to conduct advanced analyses of vital statistics to inform decision-making.

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