GENEVA — In a major global effort to fortify health information systems and enhance health outcomes worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) has introduced a comprehensive new resource aimed at transforming how nations collect, analyze, and utilize vital statistics. Unveiled today against the backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the initiative—known as the SCORE for Health Data Technical Package—is designed to bridge critical gaps in health infrastructure and provide governments with the actionable insights required to save lives and navigate public health emergencies.
The COVID-19 crisis has starkly illuminated the urgent need for timely, reliable, and granular data to drive strategic health actions and coordinate emergency responses. Despite decades of advancement in global medicine, numerous countries continue to grapple with severe deficiencies, lacking both the foundational infrastructure to routinely gather comprehensive health data and the analytical capacity required to translate that information into effective policy and frontline intervention.
Addressing global health leaders and public health experts, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the foundational principle underpinning the new initiative. "Countries must be able to measure progress to make progress," Dr. Tedros stated, highlighting how robust information networks serve as the bedrock of modern public health. "Particularly during COVID-19, reliable data is the best way to coordinate response efforts and improve health in all areas."
Accurate health data remains indispensable for understanding the distinct, localized needs of diverse populations. Beyond guiding immediate clinical and logistical decisions, reliable data ensures that scarce financial and material resources are directed precisely where they are needed most, optimizing the efficiency and equity of national healthcare delivery.
A Harmonized Approach to Health Information Systems
The newly launched SCORE Technical Package—an acronym representing Survey, Count, Optimize, Review, and Enable—serves as a unified framework intended to drastically improve the availability of timely, reliable, validated, and comparable health data across the globe. For the first time, this initiative consolidates all essential elements required for optimized health information system performance into a single, harmonized package.
In practical terms, SCORE is engineered to assist governments worldwide in establishing rigorous benchmarks, tracking epidemiological trends, and continuously elevating standards in healthcare delivery. Responding directly to the glaring data availability and quality challenges documented in the WHO World Health Statistics 2020 report, the comprehensive package incorporates more than 90 universally accepted tools and standards designed to fortify national health information systems.
The development of this crucial resource was made possible through a strategic partnership between the World Health Organization and the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative, which provided vital financial and technical support to bring the project to fruition.
"Using data to inform public health priorities and strategies has never been more important," said Dr. Kelly Henning, Director of Public Health Programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies. "The SCORE Technical Package provides country governments around the world with high-quality, essential technical guidance so that countries can strengthen their own data systems. WHO is proud to partner with the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative to deliver this timely resource to countries."
An Urgent Call to Close Global Data Gaps
The initial release of the SCORE Technical Package encompasses foundational documents designed to help nations immediately evaluate and upgrade their statistical capacities. Dr. Samira Asma, Assistant Director-General for Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact at WHO, underscored the urgency of adopting the new package in the face of compounding global health challenges.
"We must keep score to save lives. WHO is committed to working with countries and partners to rapidly scale up capacity for data collection and use in order to improve policy and performance," Dr. Asma noted. She stressed that immediate investments in national statistical systems are paramount not only for managing the current pandemic but also for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the ambitious WHO Triple Billion targets.
"We must act now to invest in statistical systems in countries, respond to this pandemic and meet the SDGs and the Triple Billion targets," Dr. Asma added. "Our window of opportunity is closing, and we cannot wait to address data gaps. Data use to address country needs has to be a priority today."
Public health authorities maintain that country-owned, disaggregated data will be indispensable for building resilient and sustainable health systems capable of withstanding future shocks. While the COVID-19 pandemic has served as an unprecedented wake-up call, highlighting systemic vulnerabilities and enduring global disparities, it has simultaneously presented a rare historical opportunity to "build back better" through international solidarity, transparent information-sharing, and cross-sector collaboration.
The SCORE package exemplifies the tangible benefits of a collaborative approach, offering participating nations a standardized yet flexible toolkit rooted in shared global standards. Designed to be practical and directly actionable, the framework acknowledges that combating complex global health threats like COVID-19 requires cohesive, synchronized action across borders.
Looking Ahead
As the global rollout of the initiative begins, the World Health Organization has confirmed that additional components of the SCORE Technical Package will be released later this year. These forthcoming additions will include the SCORE Assessment Instrument alongside comprehensive global, regional, and country status reports.
Together, these upcoming resources are expected to provide governments with a complete, end-to-end information ecosystem. This ecosystem will empower national and subnational leaders to effectively plan, execute, and monitor progress against domestic health priorities while aligning seamlessly with overarching global targets.
The announcement was issued from Geneva by Alyssa Palmquist on behalf of the World Health Organization, marking another milestone in the international health agency’s ongoing mission to foster data-driven public health stewardship worldwide.
