Strengthening Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Systems in India: An Investment Case for Governance, Public Health, and Socio-economic Development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47203/IJCH.2024.v36i06.002Keywords:
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS), Governance, Public Health, Socio-economic DevelopmentAbstract
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems are essential for ensuring the accurate documentation of vital events, which is critical for effective governance, public health management, and socio-economic development. In India, despite advancements such as Aadhaar, significant gaps remain in CRVS coverage, especially in rural and tribal areas. This paper presents review of existing system as investment case for strengthening CRVS systems in India, highlighting the public health, governance, social, and economic benefits. A robust CRVS system would enhance health data quality, reduce inefficiencies in social protection programs, promote legal identity and social inclusion, and generate significant economic returns. Drawing from global best practices and case studies, this paper demonstrates the long-term benefits and return on investment of CRVS, emphasizing its role in helping India achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 16.9 (legal identity for all). Key recommendations include expanding infrastructure, leveraging digital technologies, and integrating CRVS with existing health and social protection systems.
Downloads
References
AbouZahr C, Cleland J, Coullare F, Macfarlane SB, Notzon FC, Setel P, et al. A global assessment of civil registration and vi-tal statistics systems. Lancet. 2015 Oct 3;386(10001):1395-406.
UNICEF. Strengthening civil registration and vital statistics for births, deaths, and causes of death. Geneva: WHO; 2013. https://www.unicef.org/reports/strengthening-civil-registration. (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
Office of the Registrar General of India. Vital statistics of India based on the civil registration system. New Delhi: ORGI; 2020. Available at: https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/42542 (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
United Nations. Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. New York: United Nations; 2015. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda (Ac-cessed on 12 Dec. 24)
The World Bank. Identification for development (ID4D) global dataset. Washington, DC: World Bank; 2021. https://id4d.worldbank.org/ (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
World Health Organization. Global health statistics and civil registration systems. Geneva: WHO; 2014. Available at: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/civil-registration (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
Setel PW, Phillips DE, de Savigny D. A new era for vital sta-tistics and civil registration systems. Lancet. 2015;386(10001):1395-406.
Mikkelsen L, Phillips DE, AbouZahr C, Setel PW, de Savigny D, Lozano R, et al. Monitoring data quality and progress: civil registration and vital statistics systems. Lancet. 2015;386(10001):1395-406.
UNICEF. Bangladesh: achieving universal birth registration. UNICEF; 2020. https://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/en/stories/achieving-universal-birth-registration (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
World Bank. Civil registration and vital statistics in the digital age. Washington DC: World Bank; 2020. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/502301551361084705/pdf/Civil-Registration-and-Vital-Statistics-CRVS-in-the-Digital-Age.pdf (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
Phillips DE, Setel PW, AbouZahr C. The critical role of civil registration and vital statistics systems. Lancet. 2015;386(10001):1395-406. h
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The role of CRVS systems in achieving the SDGs. New York: UNFPA; 2021. https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/UNFPA_CRVS_The_Role_of_CRVS_in_Achieving_the_SDGs.pdf (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
UNICEF. Achieving universal birth registration in Bangladesh. UNICEF; 2020. https://www.unicef.org/ bangla-desh/en/stories/achieving-universal-birth-registration (Ac-cessed on 12 Dec. 24)
Office of the Registrar General of India. Population and vital statistics report. New Delhi: ORGI; 2020. https://censusindia.gov.in/vital_statistics.html (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
WHO and UNICEF. Progress on health-related SDGs through CRVS systems. New York: UNICEF; 2021. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240012245 (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Civil registration systems in South Asia. Bangkok: ESCAP; 2019. https://www.unescap.org/resources/civil-registration-vital-statistics-progress-report (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
The World Bank. Identification for development and health outcomes. Washington DC: World Bank; 2021. Available at: https://id4d.worldbank.org (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
Phillips DE, Lozano R, Setel PW. Making universal civil regis-tration and vital statistics systems a reality. Lancet. 2015;386(10001):1395-406.
The World Bank. Strengthening identification systems for service delivery in LMICs. Washington DC: World Bank; 2020. https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/2934314681 77192764/strengthening-identification-systems-for-service-delivery-in-low-and-middle-income-countries (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
WHO. Vital registration systems for health systems im-provement. Geneva: WHO; 2019. https://www.who.int/healthinfo/civil_registration/en/ (Ac-cessed on 12 Dec. 24)
UNICEF. Vital statistics systems and global health. Geneva: WHO; 2014. https://www.unicef.org/reports (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
Setel PW, Macfarlane SB, Szreter S, Mikkelsen L, Jha P, Stout S, et al. A scandal of invisibility: making everyone count by counting everyone. Lancet. 2007;370(9601):1569-77.
United Nations. Legal identity for all: A roadmap to 2030. New York: United Nations; 2020. https://unstats.un.org/legal-identity-agenda (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
The World Bank. Global dataset on identification for devel-opment (ID4D). Washington DC: World Bank; 2021. https://id4d.worldbank.org/global-dataset (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
UNFPA and WHO. The case for investment in civil registra-tion and vital statistics systems. New York: UNFPA; 2022. Available at: https://www.unfpa.org/publications (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
WHO. The case for CRVS in health interventions. Geneva: WHO; 2022. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240012245 (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
UNDP. Economic impacts of CRVS systems in low-income countries. New York: UNDP; 2022. https://www.undp.org/publications
The World Bank. Targeting social protection programs through better CRVS systems. Washington DC: World Bank; 2021. https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
UNFPA. CRVS as a foundation for economic growth in South Asia. New York: UNFPA; 2021. Available at: https://www.unfpa.org/publications (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
WHO. CRVS and public health outcomes: Global report. Geneva: WHO; 2021. https://www.who.int/publications (Ac-cessed on 12 Dec. 24)
ESCAP. Digital innovations in CRVS systems. Bangkok: ESCAP; 2022. https://www.unescap.org/publications (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
UNDP. Gender equality and legal identity through CRVS systems. New York: UNDP; 2022. https://www.undp.org/publications (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
The World Bank. CRVS in the context of economic develop-ment. Washington DC: World Bank; 2021. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/health/publication/civil-registration (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
WHO. Building resilient CRVS systems for future pandemics. Geneva: WHO; 2021. https://www.who.int/publications (Ac-cessed on 12 Dec. 24)
UNFPA. Long-term economic planning through CRVS sys-tems. New York: UNFPA; 2022. https://www.unfpa.org/publications (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
The World Bank. Fraud reduction in social programs via CRVS. Washington DC: World Bank; 2022. https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
ESCAP. Enhancing data accuracy through integrated CRVS systems. Bangkok: ESCAP; 2022. https://www.unescap.org/publications (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
UNDP. The case for digital CRVS systems in the global south. New York: UNDP; 2022. https://www.undp.org/publications (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
WHO. Improving maternal and infant mortality data through CRVS. Geneva: WHO; 2021. https://www.who.int/publications (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
The World Bank. The role of CRVS in formalizing economies. Washington DC: World Bank; 2022. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/health/publication/civil-registration(Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
UNFPA. CRVS systems as drivers of inclusive growth. New York: UNFPA; 2022. https://www.unfpa.org/publications (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
WHO. The cost benefits of CRVS for health systems. Geneva: WHO; 2021. https://www.who.int/publications (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
UNDP. Social inclusion through better CRVS systems. New York: UNDP; 2022. https://www.undp.org/publications (Ac-cessed on 12 Dec. 24)
The World Bank. Efficiency gains in social protection pro-grams through CRVS. Washington DC: World Bank; 2021. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/health/publication/civil-registration (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
WHO. Strengthening legal identity frameworks through CRVS. Geneva: WHO; 2021. https://www.who.int/publications (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
UNFPA. Addressing inequalities through CRVS systems. New York: UNFPA; 2022. https://www.unfpa.org/publications (Accessed on 12 Dec. 24)
WHO. The intersection of CRVS systems and the SDGs. Gene-va: WHO; 2022. https://www.who.int/publications (Ac-cessed on 12 Dec. 24)
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Om Prakash Bera, Pradeep Aggarwal, U Venkatesh, Krupal Joshi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
