The Report came up with four broad findings:

1. Economic growth in the region has not been translated into better health for the majority of population

2. Whatever improvement in health has happened, it has not reduced the existing inequity based on gender, class and location

3. Efficiency and accountability have been missing from health service delivery system provided by both public as well as private sectors

4. Health sector reforms have not worked well. Many well-intentioned reforms remained unimplemented, badly implemented or suffered from political interference

The launched report is the 8th regional report for South Asia, published by the Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre, Islamabad, Pakistan. Commissioned by The United Nations Development Programme, human development reports independently examine the world development from three major perspectives: global, regional and country wise. The first Human Development Report (HDR) that was launched in the year 1990 under the leadership of the late economist Mahbub ul Haq, established the fundamental premise for all later reports that, “Human development is about much more than the rise or fall of national incomes. It is about creating an environment in which people can develop their full potential and lead productive, creative lives in accord with their needs and interests. … Development is thus … much more than economic growth, which is only a means — if a very important one — of enlarging people’s choices.”

The Report presented some shocking statistics to highlight the poor condition of health in South Asia. However, Bangladesh – where many non government and international organisation complement the government initiatives - has done much better than its neighbors in some fields which has been duly appreciated in the report.

• Around one-third of South Asians live in absolute poverty and cannot afford quality healthcare
• Two-thirds of South Asians lack access to sanitation
• Ninety-two out of 1,000 children under the age of five die in South Asia.
• Around 30 per cent of children in South Asia still do not receive immunisation against preventable childhood diseases. In Bangladesh, it is around 20 percent.
• The maternal mortality ratio in South Asia is 516 per 100,000 live births. Bangladesh has made notable progress in reducing its maternal mortality ratio that has more than halved during 1990-2000. The country is far ahead of the rest of the region in achieving the MDG target of reducing by three-quarters the maternal mortality ratio between 1990-2015.
• More than five million people in South Asia are infected with HIV/AIDS, the awareness of which is very low in the region. In Bangladesh, according to an official survey in 1998 it was found that 56 per cent of street based commercial sex workers and 49 per cent of brothel based workers tested positive for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
• In South Asia nearly half the deaths occur due to avoidable communicable diseases, which can be avoided by small interventions that already exist and only need to be extended to the most vulnerable. Unhygienic living conditions due to poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among millions of South Asians. In Bangladesh tremendous progress has been made in improving access of safe drinking water, however, safe water for domestic purposes is still limited.

© 2005 BRAC Bangladesh
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