Health information system

A system that collects data from health and other relevant sectors, analyses the data and ensures their overall quality, relevance and timeliness, and converts the data into information for health- related decision-making. It has four key functions: (i) data generation; (ii) compilation; (iii) analysis and synthesis; and (iv) communication and use. A solid health information system will be capable of generating reliable data from hospitals, outpatients, reportable diseases registries, surveys, civil registration and vital statistics and other relevant data for health