Harmonization of regional health data requirements in the South Pacific

The South Pacific has 22 diverse countries and territories that receive various levels of assistance, training, and financial support from International, regional, and national agencies. To support various aspects of these activities, the agencies currently request health data from the Pacific Island countries and territories on systematic bases in two major fields: health program monitoring and disease surveillance. There currently is little consultation or integration between the agencies. Communication exists mostly in terms of the exchange of various types of processed information such as reports, circulars, and other publications. The Interagency Meeting on Health Information Requirements in the South Pacific took place in December 1995 in Noumea, New Caledonia, to discuss the potential for more integration and cooperation in order to ease the pressure on the data providers (the countries) and to improve the relevance, quality, and timeliness of regional health information in the Pacific. As part of the effort to deal with the problems of both the pressure on data providers and the low quality and availability of good health information, we have developed methodological tools for evaluating both health indicators and diseases subject to surveillance in order to ascertain those most suitable for public health surveillance.