Margaret Tembo-Mwanamwenge
Central Statistical Office
Legal mandate
 Collection of vital statistics is in accordance
with Cap 127 of the laws of Zambia.
 Allows director of CSO to collect statistics
on any prescribed matter (including vital
statistics)
 Mechanism regulating the links between
CSO and DNR not clearly established by
the law.
Stakeholders of the vital statistics
system in Zambia?
Central Statistical Office
Department of National
Registration
Local Authorities
Ministry of Health
Data sources
 Censuses
 Mortality rates
 Fertility rates
 Surveys
 Mortality rates
 Fertility rates
Data sources
 Civil registration
 Births
 Deaths
 Marriages
Problems encountered
 Statistical functions
 Delays in transmission of forms from local to
national level and to CSO
 Lack of adequate data processing equipment
 Staff and training
 Inadequate staff (especially at sub centres)
 Most officers trained on the job
 No refresher courses
 Limited coverage of the data – has rendered
statistical output unusable. (10% of births are
registered)
Current status of collection of vital
statistics
 Current system does not ensure that key information
required for accurate fertility and mortality assessment
is readily available in an accurate and timely manner.
 Rely on censuses and surveys for fertility and mortality
estimates
 Compilation and dissemination of vital statistics has
currently been suspended
Plans for the future
 Another source of information being planned
for:
 Sample Vital Registration with Verbal Autopsy
(SAVVY);
 not to replace the current registration system,
but to support and strengthen the reporting,
recording, analysis and dissemination of vital
events, particularly births and deaths.
Institutions collaborating in implementing
SAVVY?
 Central Statistical Office (CSO)
 The Department of National Registration (DNR)
 The Ministry of Finance and National Planning (MFNP)
 The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
 The Ministry of Health (MOH)
 The Ministry of Local Government and Housing (MLGH)
 The Ministry of Community Development and Social Services (MCDSS)
 The United States of America, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
 The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
END OF PRESENTATION
Thanks for your attention!