Vital Statistics System in Mauritius Managing administrative data

To provide an overview of Vital Statistics (VS) in Mauritius Presentation Outline To provide an overview of Vital Statistics (VS) in Mauritius The Vital Statistics System Desirable characteristics of VS system derived from Civil Registration Data Source and Coverage Civil Registration Compilation & examples of VS Dissemination of Vital Statistics Compliance of VS of Mauritius with desirable characteristics Uses of VS Future developments

The Vital Statistics System It is the collection of information on vital events by civil registration or through surveys. Compiling, processing, analysing, evaluating, presenting and disseminating these data in statistical form. In Mauritius our source of vital statistics is mainly the Civil Registration System that is based on administrative data.

Desirable characteristics of Vital Statistics System derived from Civil Registration Universal coverage (inclusive of all vital events in every population group comprising the national area) Continuity (data should reflect short-term fluctuations, seasonal movements & longer-term movements) Confidentiality (intended uses for specific administrative & statistical purposes) Regular dissemination (for health intervention & population estimation, administrative uses, vital event cross classified by its demographic & socioeconomic characteristics, etc.)

Coverage & Data Source for Mauritius Live Birth Still Birth Marriage Civil Status Division Death Divorce (Supreme Court)

Civil Registration 35 Civil Status Offices scattered around the Republic to register live births, still births, marriages and deaths. All Civil Status Offices are computerized and certificates may be obtained instantly at these offices. The regional Civil Status Offices are well within reach of the average citizen for registration purposes. Registration and the first issue of a birth, death and marriage certificate is free of charge.

Compilation of Vital Statistics Records on live birth, still birth, marriage & death in electronic formats are obtained from the Central Civil Status Office on a monthly basis with a lag of 2-3 weeks. The data is uploaded into a system, set up under the e-Business Plan, that automatically codes district of residence, Town/VCA & occupations. A set of standard tables based on the data can easily be generated by the system. The coding of causes of death is undertaken by the staff of the M/Health & Quality of Life. Statistics on Divorces on hard copies obtained on a yearly basis from the Judicial department with 5-6 months lag.

Examples of Vital Statistics produced Live Births: Crude Birth Rate, Total Fertility Rate (TFR), Age Specific Fertility Rate (ASFR), etc. Still Births: Still Birth Rate Marriage: Marriage Rate Death: Crude Death Rate, Infant Mortality Rate, Maternal Mortality Rate, etc. Divorce: Divorce Rate Life tables, Deaths by selected causes & age, Infant Death by selected causes, Early & Late neonatal mortality rate, etc.

Dissemination of Vital Statistics Print publications: Economic & Social Indicator (twice yearly) Annual Digest Digest of Demography(Annual) Civil Status Report SM website: Historical series as from 1972 http://statsmauritius.govmu.org

Compliance of Vital Statistics of Mauritius with desirable characteristics Mauritius complies in every respect with the required characteristics given that: Vital Registration System of Mauritius has all the desirable characteristics as opposed to enumeration through survey Our statistics are governed by the Statistics Act Our statistics are regularly disseminated Birth and death registration is complete Given that the registration of children at school requires a birth certificate leads towards complete birth registration The disposal of a dead body strictly requires the registration of the deceased which leads towards complete death registration

Uses of Vital Statistics in Mauritius To inform policy makers(at national level) Statistics on births widely used to shape & monitor population policies in the past when fertility was high (birth control) For prompt health interventions & analysis on causes of death Life tables & expectancy of life will allow for in-depth analysis of mortality

Uses of Vital Statistics in Mauritius International comparison Providing inputs for the UN Demographic Yearbook – a major instrument for international statistical data dissemination Monitoring of MDGs/SDGs where indicators are directly derived as in cases of: (i) Reducing child mortality (ii) Improving maternal health (iii) Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria & other diseases

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