The importance of morbidity statistics in the evaluation of public health in Africa
Ayeni, O.
Jimlar Mutane 1(2): 193-197
1976
PMID: 12264819 Document Number: 516699
Morbidity statistics measure the extent of a nation's health and provision of health facilities. These data could be used to measure the extent to which medical facilities are utilized. They could help, too, in the investigation of the patterns of occurrence of illness. Effective evaluation of public health is reinforced by 3 objectives: description of the current health status of the community; ability to detect changes in this status; and prediction of trends. Present morbidity data in Africa is unsatisfactory in achieving these objectives; the data is characterized by a lack of uniformity in collection and publication. Suggestions to increase efforts within each country to improve sources of morbidity data include use of hospital records and sickness surveys. These activities should be standardized, and information collected promptly and more frequently published. The deployment of skilled personnel in carrying out sickness surveys is desirable.