GENEVA — In a major global effort to strengthen health information systems and improve health outcomes worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially announced a new, comprehensive approach to improving access to life-saving data: the SCORE for Health Data Technical Package. The launch comes at a critical juncture, as the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight the urgent and ongoing need for timely, reliable, and actionable data to drive strategic public health interventions and emergency responses across international borders.
Despite decades of advancements in medical science and public health infrastructure, too many countries around the world still lack both the foundational infrastructure required to routinely gather essential health data and the analytical capacity necessary to utilize this information effectively for optimal health actions, resource allocation, and emergency response management. The coronavirus pandemic has starkly exposed these persistent vulnerabilities, demonstrating that data gaps can severely hinder a nation’s ability to protect its population during a crisis.
"Countries must be able to measure progress to make progress," said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, emphasizing the fundamental philosophy behind the new initiative. "Particularly during COVID-19, reliable data is the best way to coordinate response efforts and improve health in all areas."
Accurate health data are not merely administrative figures; they are fundamentally necessary to understand specific, localized country needs in order to improve overall population health and save lives on a mass scale. Furthermore, comprehensive data helps governments and international organizations direct scarce resources precisely to where they are needed most, ensuring that interventions are both efficient and equitable.
To address these systemic challenges, the newly introduced SCORE Technical Package—which stands for Survey, Count, Optimize, Review, and Enable—aims to radically improve the availability of timely, reliable, validated, and comparable health data across the global community. For the first time in a single, harmonized package, SCORE represents all the key elements required for optimized health information system performance. Simply put, the initiative is designed to help governments around the globe set high benchmarks and sustainably improve standards in healthcare delivery and public health monitoring.
Developed in direct response to the glaring data availability challenges highlighted in the WHO World Health Statistics 2020 report, the SCORE package incorporates more than 90 universally accepted tools and standards specifically tailored for health information systems strengthening. This comprehensive resource bridges the gap between raw data collection and strategic policy implementation.
"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, which provided vital funding to support the development and rollout of the initiative. "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."
The World Health Organization has expressed immense pride in partnering with the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative to deliver this timely and critical resource to nations striving to upgrade their national health infrastructure. By combining the global health leadership of the WHO with the philanthropic support and strategic vision of Bloomberg Philanthropies, the initiative aims to empower local health authorities with the tools they need to build lasting institutional capacity.
The initial release of the package comprises two core foundational documents designed to guide national health authorities in evaluating and upgrading their existing frameworks. However, the scope and ambition of the initiative extend far beyond initial documentation, requiring an immediate and sustained commitment from global health leaders and national policymakers alike.
"We must keep score to save lives," added Dr. Samira Asma, Assistant Director-General for Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact at WHO, underscoring the moral and practical imperative of the new package. "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. We must act now to invest in statistical systems in countries, respond to this pandemic and meet the SDGs and the Triple Billion targets. 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."
Experts emphasize that country-owned, disaggregated data will be absolutely essential for establishing more resilient, responsive, and sustainable health systems moving forward. The COVID-19 pandemic has served as both a stark wake-up call and a sobering reminder of the complex health challenges that humanity still has to address on a global scale. Yet, public health officials note that the crisis also represents a unique and valuable opportunity to "build back better" through international solidarity, transparent information-sharing, and cross-border collaboration.
The SCORE package stands as a prime example of how a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach can directly benefit individual nations by providing a common set of standardized tools grounded in shared international best practices. Designed from the ground up to be practical, highly actionable, and flexible enough to adapt to diverse local contexts, the package reinforces the reality that the global community will only be truly successful in combatting COVID-19 and future health emergencies if nations work closely together.
Looking ahead, future components of the comprehensive SCORE Technical Package are scheduled to be released later this year. These upcoming additions will include the specialized SCORE Assessment Instrument as well as global, regional, and country-specific status reports. Together, this complete suite of information resources will provide governments with everything they need to effectively plan, execute, and monitor progress against national and subnational priorities, while simultaneously aligning with broader global health targets.
Through sustained dedication, strategic investment, and international cooperation, the WHO and its partners hope that the SCORE Technical Package will permanently transform how the world gathers, analyzes, and utilizes health data, ultimately saving countless lives and securing a healthier future for communities worldwide.
