Standards for public health information services
in Activated Health Clusters and other Humanitarian Health Coordination Mechanisms
Overview
A key prerequisite for any effective humanitarian response is the availability of timely, reliable and robust information. In order to take sound decisions in a humanitarian health response, decision-makers need public health information to assess and monitor the health status and risks faced by the affected population, the availability and actual functionality of health resources, and the performance of the health system. What has to date been referred to as Information Management is a critical function of humanitarian coordination mechanisms. In this document, we adopt the more accurate designation of Public Health Information Services. The PHIS Standards are by no means restricted to health clusters, and can be applied to support government led emergency coordination or other types of humanitarian sectoral coordination mechanisms.