Background
Reductions of maternal and child mortality are among the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. The estimated maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in the occupied Palestinian territory in 2010 was 64 per 100 000 livebirths. WHO has developed a global initiative, the harmonised reproductive health registry (hRHR), to improve data quality and to reduce maternal and infant mortality. We undertook a needs assessment to identify strengths, opportunities, and gaps in the present information system for reproductive health in the occupied Palestinian territory before development of a strategic action plan for the future.

Methods
We used a qualitative needs assessment tool (NAT) that has been developed in the International hRHR project and adapted to the Palestinian context. The tool was developed with sections on legal issues, essential indicators, minimum dataset, data collection, data dissemination, and data use. This assessment will help to identify data gaps, which can then be filled to help reduce maternal and child deaths. Through in-depth interviews with senior managers at the Ministry of Health, we adapted the NAT to the Palestinian context. A 1 day workshop with 20 participants from Ministry of Health stakeholder institutions (eg, Department of Primary Health Care) completed the NAT.