Small Countries Health Information Network Report

A report on the first meeting of focal points of the Small Countries Health Information Network (SCHIN) has been published setting out priorities, a joint action plan and the roles and responsibilities of all SCHIN partners. SCHIN's aim is to bring together small countries to exchange experiences and address shared health information challenges.

The meeting report covers a variety of topics including:

• health information networks in the context of Health 2020 and WHO's European Health Information Initiative;
• the Network's governance structure and modus operandi;
• statistical constraints in small jurisdictions and reporting options using rolling averages;
• development of a mini health systems performance assessment in small countries, proposed by Malta;
• expectations of SCHIN in the national context of current developments in the area of health information; and
• suggestions for the Network's priority topics and development of an action plan.

Online communication platform

With a view to reducing the burden to countries of responding to surveys, the Regional Office has established a new gatekeeper function for data requests to all Member States, which is of particular benefit to small countries. The WHO Secretariat will also create an online communication platform to facilitate the exchange of best practices within SCHIN.