The Institute of Statistics launches questionnaire to evaluate its services
The questionnaire collects information on what the focus and scope of the next Strategic Plan should be.
In order to know the opinion of citizens regarding the performance of the services offered by the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics (Institute), the executive director, Dr. Orville M. Disdier, announced the launch of a questionnaire that, among others, will collect the opinion of citizens on what should be the approach and scope of the Institute's next Strategic Plan, which will last three (3) years.
“The Institute was created to promote changes in the systems for collecting and analyzing the information that is generated so that they are complete, reliable and quickly and universally accessible. Periodically evaluating how the Institute has fulfilled these purposes is essential to continue to transform our institution and improve our services. In addition, we must ensure that our strategic plan is in line with the needs of today's society,” argued Dr. Disdier.
It was reported that the questionnaire is one in electronic format, easy to complete, and that it can be accessed through any computer, tablet or smartphone with Internet services. Among the topics covered by the questionnaire are: frequency of use of services and products, perception of the quality of services, level of trust in products, opinion on potential strengths and weaknesses, assessment of compliance with the mission and vision, and possible changes to the Institute's objectives, among others. Anyone can participate in this survey, including employees and officials of the three (3) branches of government, researchers, academics, teachers, students, parents, and users of information and data in general, inside and outside of Puerto Rico.
The questionnaire entitled “Evaluation of the Services of the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute and Update of its Strategic Plan” can be accessed at any time through the following e-mail address: Quality of Service Survey.
For technical questions or for more information about this questionnaire, you can send an email to: preguntas@estadisticas.pr.
About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics
To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook accounts (@statistics.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) and LinkedIn (Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics).
They reveal an increasing trend in the incidence of Type 1 Diabetes in the
pediatric population in Puerto Rico
At the launch of the first Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes Platform in Puerto Rico
The incidence rate of Type 1 Diabetes in the pediatric population (new cases per 100,000 people between 0 and 18 years of age) shows a tendency to increase over the years, with 2009 being the year with the lowest rate (20.5), and 2021 the year with the highest rate (38.4). Although there are variations, on average, the incidence rate shows an increasing trend of 1% per year. In the most recent available year, 2022, the incidence rate was 34.2 new cases per 100,000 people between 0 and 18 years old. These data were revealed during the presentation of the first Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes Platform in Puerto Rico, developed by the Statistics Institute of Puerto Rico in partnership with the Pediatric Diabetes Foundation. This platform provides essential statistical data for understanding and addressing Type 1 Diabetes in Puerto Rico and is available at: https://estadisticas.pr/en/diabetes-tipo-1.
“These data are essential to be able to establish public policies for management, allocation of funds and resources, for researchers, doctors and for the families of patients living with diabetes. We needed an entity such as the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute with the expertise and willingness to help us with the statistical process, which resulted in an important alliance of will between the Foundation and the Institute. Today we can present the result of the collaboration between the Foundation and the Institute,” said Bernardo Maldonado, president of the Board of Directors of the Puerto Rico Pediatric Diabetes Foundation.
According to the executive director of the Institute of Statistics, Dr. Orville M. Disdier, this platform represents an essential advance in the understanding and management of Type 1 Diabetes in the pediatric population. “These findings, presented for the first time on an interactive platform, provide a detailed view of the situation of Type 1 Pediatric Diabetes in Puerto Rico, which is essential for guiding public health policies and resource allocation,” said Dr. Disdier.
The findings detailed on the platform reveal significant data for the period from 2009 to 2022. Among these, the following stand out:
Between 2009 and 2022, a total of 2,850 people between 0 and 18 years of age were diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes for the first time. On average, 204 cases of Type 1 Diabetes are diagnosed annually in people 18 years of age or younger.
Most of the cases (67%) diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes for the first time were between 5 and 14 years old. The average age of these cases was approximately 10 years.
Overall, 53% of the cases were male and the remaining 47% were female.
In addition, Mariana Benítez Hilera, executive director of the Pediatric Diabetes Foundation, emphasized the Foundation's work in collecting unique data since 2008. This is thanks to a collaborative alliance with the hospitals where these patients are diagnosed and pediatric endocrinologists. “Once a child is diagnosed with diabetes, the first help they receive at the hospital is from our Foundation, which in turn helps us to have contact with their family right from the start and help them throughout the education process,” said Benítez Hilera.
Dr. Marina Ruiz, a pediatric endocrinologist, emphasized that Type 1 Diabetes is the type of diabetes that most affects the pediatric population. “It's an autoimmune condition that has no cure and can't be prevented. The condition requires a multidisciplinary team, such as the one found at the Pediatric Diabetes Foundation, to achieve successful management. This is the first time that statistics on diabetes in children aged 0 to 18 have been generated in Puerto Rico, which will help position our island on the world map with validated and reliable data. This will lead to the development of clinical studies in the near future to continue expanding our knowledge of the condition. In addition, it helps to carry the message to communities so that they have symptoms present and thus avoid acute and/or chronic complications.” said Ruiz.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PUERTO RICO INSTITUTE OF STATISTICS QUESTIONS PURPOSE OF CONSOLIDATING TO “OUTSOURCE”
The executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, Dr. Mario Marazzi-Santiago, today questioned the purpose of consolidating this public entity, with the sole purpose of outsourcing it later, as proposed in Reorganization Plan No. 1 referring to the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC) for the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute.
To expedite the proposal to “outsource” the Institute's functions, the Government could simply propose a bill to amend the Institute's Organic Law. Another alternative could be to consider including your outsourcing proposal in an existing legislative vehicle, such as Senate Bill 236 (Open Data Act). But, in this case, it was proposed to merge for the sole purpose of 'externalizing' its functions. It is a proposal that seems strange to us. I don't want to think of it as a mechanism designed to prevent the Legislative Assembly from discharging its function of analyzing and finally approving the reorganizations of entities created by law, such as the Institute.
On January 8, 2018, at a press conference from La Fortaleza, the Secretary of Public Affairs and Public Policy, Lcdo. Ramón Rosario Cortés, presented a proposal to reorganize the DDEC and consolidate several public entities, including the Institute. In the case of the Institute, it is proposed to consolidate it with the DDEC, with the sole purpose of outsourcing its functions, in order to guarantee its “real independence” since, as recognized by Rosario Cortés himself that day, the Institute since its creation, “although it has had independence, it depends on appointments from the Governor, including Executive officials who are part of that Board”.
For his part, Dr. Marazzi-Santiago thanked the recognition that statistical functions must be performed without political interference. “We are ready to study alternative mechanisms that allow the selection of members of the Institute's Board of Directors without the need for the incumbent Government to interfere. Recent experiences with this issue provide compelling evidence to support the desirability of this change in public policy,” said the Executive Director of the Institute.
The Institute was created as a public instrument with so much administrative and fiscal autonomy that it already allows it to operate outside the Government, almost like a private company. As La Fortaleza is already aware, the Institute does not consult its contracts or appointments with La Fortaleza or with the Office of Management and Budget, but rather makes these decisions as in private companies, based on professional and technical criteria that ensure adequate governance of our institution.
Marazzi assured that this governance model has not only proven to be successful, but that the Institute's objectivity and professionalism have been recognized by numerous users of its services and interested individuals, most recently by the Congressional Task Force created under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stabilization Act (PROMESA) of 2016, which specifically recommended that the Institute continue to protect its independence.
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The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity responsible for coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and have quick and universal access. The Institute has in its inventory, accessible through www.estadisticas.pr.gov, more than 300 statistical products. In addition, it is a guardian and provides access to over 100 data sets or “data sets” through www.data.pr.gov and to over 40 tables and more than 6 thousand indicators through: www.indicadores.pr.
For more information you can visit our website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. In addition, you can follow us on social networks through Facebook (estadisticas.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.
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