DHAKA: The regional committee of World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system to keep records of birth and death.

Health ministers of 11 south-east Asian countries and the policymakers put importance on CRVS in recent 67th session of the committee.

The 11 member countries of WHO South-East Asia include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and East Timor.

Around 7.6 million children under 5 years were died in 2010. Only 2.7 percentage of the total was recorded by doctors or hospitals.

Effective health planning and lack of reliable information are problems for long time, the committee added.

According to the policymakers, civil registration, important statistics and information about birth, death and reason of death and date of marriage should be available to everyone.

The policymakers also said that CRVS system is important to keep consecutive information about the citizens of a country.

The process can be operated and controlled by National Statistics Office, Police Department and Health Sector, moreover, the government.

WHO South-East Asia regional director Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh said that the important information of birth and death should be kept.

The health related indicators will be incorrect without these records.

She said that Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system is the only method by which the continuous, mandatory and efficient records of birth, death and reasons of deaths can be recorded.

She further said that the information and statistics from the civil registration can play a vital role in 42 indicators out of 60 of Millennium Development Goals (MDG) within 2015.

The WHO and World Bank along with the help of several countries and organizations have taken investment planning 2015-2024 to ensure Civil Registration and Vital Statistics worldwide.

This CRVS system can provide an idea about how a country’s health sector keeps record of death and birth. This system also can accelerate the public civil registration correctly and in time.

The WHO official also said that the 11 member countries of WHO South-East Asia vary with their people, geographical location and 

socio-economic aspects.

She also said that CRVS system is important for universal health service.

BDST: 1850 HRS, SEP 10, 2014