Health service data (as the name suggests) tells you what health services are available in the community and what use is made of these services by the population. For example, it counts the number of times each client is seen by a health profesional, the reason for each visit, whether it was in a health facility or in the client's home, and whether the resulting intervention was health advice and reassurance, or the supply of medical drugs or other services (e.g. contraception).

The purpose of collecting health service data is to identify strategies that improve the access of every member of the community to effective healthcare and health promotion. By collecting health service data on coverage you will be better able to understand:

• Do those individuals with healthcare needs get the necessary health interventions? For example, what access to malaria treatment drugs is available for patients who develop malaria?
• What determines the probability of an individual receiving a needed health intervention? Is it their age, their gender, their social circumstances, etc.?
• What are the barriers preventing the whole population receiving the required health services? Are the barriers mainly financial problems that prevent access to services, or is there a shortage of trained personnel, drugs or equipment?
• What specific health services are offered to the community and where are the gaps in services?
• What is the pattern of healthcare-seeking behaviour of the community? Healthcare-seeking behaviour describes how people interact with the health service and healthworkers. For example, people may be reluctant to seek help from the formal health service or they may be regularly seeking attention from health personnel.