WASHINGTON (CMC) -Caribbean countries are to benefit from the renewed agreement between the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Bloomberg Philanthropies to enhance civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems in the Americas.

PAHO said that the agreement will be “supporting countries and territories of the Caribbean to improve the quality and availability of vital statistics to increase the proportion of accurately and completely registered births and deaths, and to modernise systems”.

It said that the agreement expands ongoing work under the global Data for Health (D4H) initiative, aimed at improving how countries collect and use data on births, deaths, and causes of death to shape public health policies.

PAHO said in many countries across the region, data on deaths remain incomplete or inaccurate, noting, for example, in several countries, fewer than half of death certificates include a documented cause of death.

“Underreporting is also common, with more than 20 per cent of deaths going unrecorded in some areas. This lack of reliable information limits governments’ ability to prioritise health needs and allocate resources effectively,” it said.

PAHO said to address these challenges, together with Bloomberg Philanthropies, they will continue to support countries in assessing and improving their information systems, with a strong focus on CRVS.

The project is expected to run through 2027, allowing for a sustained effort to strengthen data systems across the region.

Key activities under the agreement include assessing national CRVS systems and proposing tailored improvements, as well as developing a regional training course to help countries integrate the latest iteration of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) into their health information systems.