Session 1:

Importance of CRVS and

Certification of Death
Session Objectives
1. Discuss the significance of causes of death and mortality
statistics
2. Identify the problems in death certification
3. Describe the strategies for improving mortality statistics
4. Increase commitment to quality death certification

Department of Health, Philippines

Civil Registration and Vital Statistics
The continuous and universal recording of the occurrence and
characteristics of vital events:
▪ Birth statistics
▪ Death statistics

In the Philippines, medical doctors are the only profession

allowed to certify causes of death in the death certificate.

Department of Health, Philippines

 UNESCAP Targets and Baseline Data
2024 TARGET 2010 DATA
Status of CRVS in the Philippines
Births registered
99% 94%
Deaths registered
90% 66%
Medically attended registered deaths
85% 34%
Reduction of ill-defined or unusable COD
with zero R codes (from registered
deaths)
0.45% 0.9%
Community deaths with underlying COD
determined through standard VA 85% No data
Source: Report on national targets and baseline data, Philippines (2016) – available at: http://www.getinthepicture.org/resource/report-national-targets-and-baseline-data-Philippines; The
Philippines CRVS Indicative Investment Plan (2015-2019); 2010 NSO census; L. Hufana, Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Assessment: Philippines, Pasig City, p. 7.
 Status of CRVS in the Philippines

1 out of 3
deaths in the
Philippines in 2020
are medically unattended

*Source: Philippine Statistics Authority. (2022). Registered Deaths in the Philippines, 2020.

Department of Health, Philippines

Problems in CRVS

Low emphasis on
Low quality
death certification
data

INVESTMENTS

Lack of Little use made

investments in of the data
CRVS

Department of Health, Philippines

 Problems in CRVS

10-19%
of records from 2013 to
2018 have ill-defined
or unknown causes of
death

*Source: WHO. (Updated March 2021). SCORE Assessment Summary - Philippines. https://www.who.int/data/data-collection-tools/score/dashboard#/profile/PHL
 Problems in CRVS

35.6%
of death certificates
in 2018 contains
garbage codes and
insufficiently specified
causes of death

Department of Health, Philippines

 Problems in CRVS

The Philippines has committed to the UNESCAP Declaration to Get

Everyone in the Picture by 2024.

Reduction of ill-defined causes of death in the

country is tagged as stagnant.*

*Source: Midterm Report of the Asian and Pacific CRVS Decade (Report launched on June 28-July 1, 2021)
Cause of Death, Philippines, 2019
15-49 years old
(Premature death)
Males

*Source: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. (2019). GBD Compare. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare/
Importance of Vital Statistics in the Health Sector
Primary source of public health information on births and causes of
infant, neonatal, and maternal deaths in a defined population:
1. Data on prevalence and distribution of mortality by cause
2. Identification of health inequalities
3. Resource allocation
4. Assessment of health systems performance
5. Understanding emerging health challenges

Department of Health, Philippines

 Vital Statistics
is the gold standard of
health information!
- Former Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona

Department of Health, Philippines

DOH Strategies for a More Accurate Mortality
Statistics
1. Multi-sectoral coordination
(e.g., PSA, LGUs, PNP, NBI, etc)
a. Revision of the Civil Registry
Forms (Certificate of Live Birth
and Certificate of Death)
b. Health CRVS Bill

Department of Health, Philippines

DOH Strategies for a More Accurate Mortality
Statistics
2. Operational procedures and practices
innovations
a. Administrative Order No. 2020-0008
“Rules on MCCOD”
b. Department Circular No. 2022-0293
“Interim Guidelines on the
Assessment of MCCOD in
Health Facilities”

Department of Health, Philippines

DOH Strategies for a More Accurate Mortality
Statistics
3. Capacity building on Medical Certification of
Cause of Death
a. eLearning course in the DOH Academy
b. Standard MCCOD
Instructional Design
integrated in medical
school curriculum
c. MCCOD and CRVS
Handbooks
Department of Health, Philippines
 CRVS4Health Milestones

Department of Health, Philippines

 How are we doing so far? 2024 TARGET CURRENT DATA

Births registered
99% 72%*

Deaths registered
90% 92%*
Medically attended registered deaths
85% 56%**
Reduction of ill-defined or unusable COD
with zero R codes (from registered
deaths)
0.45% 1.2% *

Community deaths with underlying COD

determined through standard VA 85% No data
* Philippine Statistics Authority. (August 2021). Philippines’ Response to the UNESCAP Mid-Term Questionnaire 2020.
** Philippine Statistics Authority. (January 31, 2022). Registered Deaths in the Philippines, 2020. https://psa.gov.ph/content/registered-deaths-philippines-
2020#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20a%20total%20of,per%201%2C000%20population%20in%202020.
 Be Legible,
Be Careful,
Be Accurate.

Department of Health, Philippines

 CRVS
begins and ends
in the health sector.
Department of Health, Philippines
If you have queries, you may contact us thru:
Address communications to:
DR. ENRIQUE A. TAYAG
Director IV
Knowledge Management and Information Technology Service

Email address: crvs@doh.gov.ph

Landline number: (02) 8651-7800 local 1905
Website: www.crvs.doh.gov.ph

Department of Health, Philippines

Maraming salamat po.