Improving Saudi Arabia's Cause of Death Statistics

The problem

Saudi Arabia has among the highest prevalence of diabetes and obesity in the world. Accurate cause of death data is essential to monitor mortality from these key health issues. However, there are problems with the quality of Saudi Arabia’s cause of death statistics because data collection and reporting practices do not adhere with international best practice.

The research

The Nossal Institute advised the Ministry of Health Saudi Arabia in the development of a Cause of Death Statistics Improvement Strategy. This Strategy included adopting the International Form of Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, implementing a system of regular data quality assessment, introducing a national online medical certification training for doctors and establishing a national mortality committee.

The impact

The Ministry of Health Saudi Arabia have accepted key recommendations including: adopting the International Form of Medical Certificate of Cause of Death; implementing a system of regular data quality assessment; and introducing a national online medical certification training for doctors. These policy changes improving processes for the collection of essential cause of death data will strengthen the evidence base for health policies to address in Saudi Arabia’s key population heath issues.

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