Luanda – The U.S. Government through the Agency for International Development (USAID) joined the Angolan National Institute of Statistics (INE) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) to release the final report of the “Inquérito de Indicadores Múltiplos e de Saúde,” or IIMS.  IIMS is a health survey which provides provincial-level data to help improve decision-making in the Angolan health sector.  Representatives from the Ministries of Planning and Territorial Development, Health, and INE as well as international donor organization representatives attended the ceremony. 

The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Presidential Malaria Initiative (PMI), through the USAID Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) Program, invested more than $5.9 million in this population-based survey. This survey provides provincial-level data to help improve decision-making in the Angolan health sector by providing up-to-date information on key areas such as maternal and reproductive health, child mortality, HIV prevalence, and malaria.  Together, USAID, UNICEF and World Bank provided technical and financial support to INE and MoH for IIMS implementation. 

During the event, USAID Mission Director Derrick Brown recognized the Angolan Government’s efforts and noted the importance of the survey saying, “the collection of high quality health data is critical for decision-making and to the continued evolution of Angola’s health sector to provide quality healthcare to all of its citizens.”

The DHS is a USAID program internationally recognized as the “gold standard” in population and health research in developing countries.  Using the best and most reliable survey methods available, the DHS utilizes sound data collection procedures with robust quality control mechanisms at every stage of survey implementation.  The Angolan IIMS final report is free and available to the public.

For more information, please contact the United States Embassy Press, Culture and Education Section via e-mail pressluanda@state.gov or by phone 222-641-000. To view the survey results, visit http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR327/FR327.pdf . For more information about DHS program, visit http://dhsprogram.com/.