ICU Management & Practice, ICU Volume 7 - Issue 2 - Summer 2007
On 18th May, the World Health Organization (WHO) published World health statistics 2007, the most complete set of health statistics from its 193 Member States. This edition also highlights trends in ten of the most closely watched global health statistics. It is the annual reference for a set of 50 health indicators in countries around the world and is also available as an online database. It includes information on:
How much money is currently spent on health in comparison to regional burdens of disease;
Projected patterns of major causes of death for 2030;
Gaps in reliable information, and how estimates of maternal mortality are made;
he diseases that are killing people, and those that make them sick;
The extent to which people can access treatment, the major risk factors for ill-health, the human resources underpinning health systems; and
Health outcomes in the context of demographic and socioeconomic status of individual countries.
Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, said “Reliable health data and statistics are the foundation of health policies, strategies, and evaluation and monitoring. Evidence is also the foundation for sound health information for the general public… I regard the generation and use of health information as the most urgent need.”
