The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 65% of all deaths worldwide—35 million a year—go unrecorded, and millions of deaths lack a documented cause. Without this information, government officials, public health leaders and funders cannot make informed decisions on priorities, including where and how to direct public health resources. System changes required to achieve government objectives to document vital events and accurate cause of death information require a supportive legal and regulatory framework.
As part of the Bloomberg Data For Health Initiative (D4H), Vital Strategies is partnering with Viet Nam government agencies to reach objectives set forth in the National Action Plan on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS). This report, in collaboration with the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, uses a Legal and Regulatory Review Toolkit to analyze the legal and regulatory framework of Viet Nam’s Civil Registration, Vital Statistics and Identity Management (CRVSID) system. Based on international best practice set out in documents from the United Nations, WHO and other international bodies, the toolkit helps government stakeholders identify gaps or obstacles in their CRVSID legal framework and highlight opportunities for improvement.