The Philippine management information system for public health programs, vital statistics, mortality and notifiable diseases

Strengthening the information support for decision making has been identified as an important first step toward improving the efficiency, effectiveness, and equitability of the health care system in the Philippines. A Philippine-German Cooperation is in partnership toward developing a need-responsive and cost-effective Health and Management Information System (HAMIS). Four information baskets are being strengthened specifically to address these needs in a cost-effective way: public health information systems, hospital information systems, information systems on economics and financing, information systems on good health care management. BLACKBOX is the management information system for public health programs, vital statistics, mortality and notifiable diseases of the Philippines. It handles and retrieves all data that is being collected by public health workers routinely all over the Philippines. The eventual aim of BLACKBOX is to encourage the development of an information culture in which health managers actively utilise information for rational planning and decision making for a knowledge based health care delivery.