Health
Meet Bangladesh - Bangladesh 101:
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.
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