NCDs Surveillance
The regular collection of data on a set of health indicators, routine analysis of those indicators over time, place and between population groups, the sharing of available scientific knowledge as well as the regular dissemination of results from the analyses of such data constitutes surveillance.
The health information generated from NCD surveillance systems is needed for planning and implementation of interventions, including health policy, for NCD prevention and control. Reliable information is critical for supporting evidence-based decision making for maintaining public health in the countries of our region. CARPHA’s NCD surveillance work is focused on the development and implementation of a Regional Surveillance System for NCDs as stated in CCH IV.
The NCD Regional Surveillance System will include reporting of data on health indicators to provide information to facilitate monitoring and evaluation of regional and national programmes for NCD prevention and control. Furthermore, the system will assist countries in monitoring their progress in achieving agreed regional and global mandates for NCD prevention and control.
In addition, work is continuing to build national capacity, to improve the availability and quality of cancer data to support the strengthening of cancer surveillance in the Caribbean region. This work is being led by the IARC Caribbean Cancer Registry Hub, which is based at CARPHA and co-funded by the United States National Cancer Institute (US NCI/NIH). For more information about the work of the IARC Caribbean Cancer Registry Hub, please visit the IARC Caribbean Cancer Registry Hub.