Bangladesh Sees Major Progress In Health Indicators, Studies Show

“Bangladesh has had 40 years of exceptional progress in health, with infant mortality down, life expectancy up and good disease control, all despite being one of the world’s poorest countries, researchers said on Thursday,” Reuters reports. “‘Over the past 40 years, Bangladesh has outperformed its Asian neighbors, convincingly defying the expert view that reducing poverty and increasing health resources are the key drivers of better population health,’ said Professor Mushtaque Chowdhury from Dhaka’s BRAC University, who co-led a series of studies published in The Lancet medical journal,” the news service writes (Kelland, 11/21).

“The empowerment of women and the reach of [non-governmental organizations (NGOs)] have contributed to Bangladesh’s remarkable success in health care, which has included significant improvements in the survival of under-fives, immunization coverage and tuberculosis control, according to the” studies, The Guardian notes, adding, “Progress in infant, child and maternal mortality has been particularly striking, with an unprecedented reversal in the number of deaths among girls compared with boys.” The newspaper continues, “Looking ahead, the report said that despite annual economic growth of six percent, persistent poverty would continue to limit health progress” (Tran, 11/20).

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