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Bangladesh has
covered many miles on the road toward reduced fertility and
childhood mortality in its first three decades since
independence in 1971. It is the only country among the 20
poorest that has recorded a sustained reduction in birth rates
over the past 15 years. On average, in the 1990s women had 3.3
birthsone-half the number in 1974. Infant mortality has dropped
from about 140 to 88 per 1,000 live births. The government's
strategy is now directed toward reducing the high levels of
maternal illness and deaths, tackling malnutrition, and
consolidating and sustaining the gains already made.
Although
Bangladesh had a basic health care infrastructure in the 1980s,
much remained to be done, particularly in rural areas, where the
majority of the people faced critical health problems. The main
dangers to health in the late 1980s were much the same as they
were at the time of independence. The incidence of communicable
disease was extensive, and there was widespread malnutrition,
inadequate sewage disposal, and inadequate supplies of safe
drinking water. The fertility rate was also extremely high. Only
30 percent of the population had access to primary health care
services, and overall health care performance remained
unacceptably low by all conventional measurements. Life
expectancy at birth in FY 1985, according to official Bangladesh
statistics was estimated at 55.1 years, as opposed to 61 years
in comparable developing countries. Morbidity and mortality
rates for women and children were high. Infant mortality rates
exceeded 125 deaths per 1,000 live births, the maternal
mortality rate was 6 per 1,000 live births, and 56.1 percent of
infants suffered from chronic malnutrition. More than 45 percent
of rural families and 76 percent of urban families were below
the acceptable caloric intake level. About two- thirds of all
families received insufficient protein and vitamins. |
