Countries and areas
Country health information profiles (CHIPS) were first published in 1974 by the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific. The first CHIPS were primarily a reference for WHO staff responsible for briefing others, writing reports, drafting plans of action and verifying statistical data. CHIPS then became a resource tool used by other United Nations agencies, international organizations, government agencies and the general public.
The 2008 edition of CHIPS comprises the country profiles and the health databanks for each country and area of the WHO Western Pacific Region. It contains crude data that are supplied either by the health ministries/departments or compiled from national databases and reference libraries. Estimates and adjusted data from various published sources are also used. Every effort is made to update the figures and analyses in CHIPS annually in response to ever-growing demands for current data and information. Clearance by the respective governments is also sought prior to publication. However, data reliability and data coverage may vary for each indicator and from country to country.
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