Bangladesh Studies
Bangladesh Studies
  • Home
  • Bangladesh
    • Foreword
    • Acknowledgements
    • Preface
  • Country Profile
    • Country
    • Geography
    • Society
    • Economy
    • Transportation and Communications
    • Government and Politics
    • National Security
  • Introduction
    • bangladesh studies>
      • Chapter 1 - Historical Setting >
        • EARLY HISTORY, 1000 B.C.-A.D. 1202
        • Islamization of Bengal, 1202-1757
        • European Colonization, 1757-1857>
          • Early Settlements
          • The British Raj
        • Pakistan Period , 1947-71>
          • Transition to Nationhood, 1947-58
          • The "Revolution" of Ayub Khan, 1958-66
          • Emerging Discontent, 1966-70
          • The War for Bangladeshi Independence, 1971
        • Birth of Bangladesh>
          • Early Independence Period, 1971-72
          • Fall of the Bangabandhu, 1972-75
          • Restoration of Military Rule, 1975-77
          • The Zia Regime and Its Aftermath, 1977-82
      • Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment>
        • Geography>
          • The Land
          • Climate
          • River Systems
        • Population>
          • Population Structure and Settlement Patterns
          • Migration
          • Population Control
        • Social System >
          • Transition to a New Social Order
          • Rural Society
          • Urban Society
          • Women's Role in Society
          • Social Classes and Stratification
        • Religion>
          • Islam
          • Hinduism
          • Buddhism
          • Christianity
        • Education>
          • The British Legacy
          • Education System
          • Religious Education
          • Education Planning and Policy
        • Health>
          • Disease and Disease Control
          • Health Care Facilities
          • Medical Education and Training
      • Chapter 3. The Economy>
        • Economic Context >
          • Historical Perspective
          • Economic Reconstruction after Independence
        • Managing the Economy>
          • Economic Policy and Planning
          • Government Budget Process>
            • Revenue Budget
            • Development Budget
        • Joint Ventures and Foreign Investment
        • Money and Banking>
          • Currency Fluctuation
          • The Banking System
        • Foreign Assistance >
          • Test Case for Development
          • Aid Dependence>
            • International Banks
            • United Nations
            • Foreign Governments and Private Donors
        • Agriculture>
          • Structure of Agricultural Production
          • Food Crops
          • Industrial Crops
        • Industry>
          • Traditional Sectors
          • Ready-made Garments
          • Other Industries
          • Mineral Development
          • Technological Advances
        • Foreign Trade >
          • Export Sectors
          • Balance and Terms of Trade
        • Transportation and Communications>
          • Inland Waterways and Ports
          • Road Transportation
          • Railroads
          • Civil Aviation
          • Telecommunications
          • Tourism
        • Problems and Prospects
      • Chapter 4 - Government and Politics>
        • Structure of Government>
          • Constitution
          • Legislature
          • Executive>
            • Presidency
            • Council of Ministers
          • Judiciary
          • Civil Service
          • Local Administration
        • The Ershad Period>
          • Achieving Stability, 1982-83
          • Emerging Opposition, 1983-86
          • Relaxation of Martial Law, 1986-87
          • More Opposition Pressure
        • Political Dynamics >
          • Local Elites
          • The National Party
          • Party Politics>
            • Awami League
            • Bangladesh National Party
            • Islamic Parties
            • Alliances
            • Workers and Students
            • Women in Politics
        • The Media
        • Foreign Policy >
          • South and Southeast Asia>
            • India
            • Pakistan
            • Other Nations
          • China and Other Asian Nations
          • The Islamic World
          • The Superpowers>
            • United States
            • Soviet Union
          • Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
          • International Organizations
      • Chapter 5 - National Security>
        • Armed Forces and Society>
          • Colonial Origins
          • Pakistan Era
          • The Liberation War
          • Postindependence Period
        • Organization of the Armed Forces>
          • Legal Basis
          • Recruitment
          • Mission>
            • National Defense
            • Intelligence and Security
          • Security Environment
          • Defense Spending
          • Foreign Acquisitions and Ties
        • The Three Services>
          • Army
          • Navy
          • Air Force
        • Auxiliary Forces >
          • Bangladesh Rifles
          • Ansars
          • Police
          • Village Defence Party
        • Public Order and Internal Security>
          • Violence and Crime
          • Insurgency in the Chittagong Hills
          • Criminal Justice
          • The Military in the Late 1980's
  • Bibliography
  • Glossary
  • About us
  • Contract us
Health Care Facilities

A rural family planning center
Courtesy Bangladesh Ministry of Information



An operating table at a voluntary sterilization clinic in Sylhet
Courtesy Siria Lopez

The Ministry of Health and Family Planning was responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing the national health and mother-and-child health care programs. Population control also was within the purview of the ministry (see Population Control , this ch.). The government's policy objectives in the health care sector were to provide a minimum level of health care services for all, primarily through the construction of health facilities in rural areas and the training of health care workers. The strategy of universal health care by the year 2000 had become accepted, and government efforts toward infrastructure development included the widespread construction of rural hospitals, dispensaries, and clinics for outpatient care. Program implementation, however, was limited by severe financial constraints, insufficient program management and supervision, personnel shortages, inadequate staff performance, and insufficient numbers of buildings, equipment, and supplies.

In the late 1980s, government health care facilities in rural areas consisted of subdistrict health centers, union-level health and family welfare centers, and rural dispensaries. A subdistrict health center in the mid-1980s typically had a thirty-one-bed hospital, an outpatient service, and a home-service unit staffed with field workers. Some of the services, however, were largely nonoperative because of staffing problems and a lack of support services. Health services in urban areas also were inadequate, and their coverage seemed to be deteriorating. In many urban areas, nongovernment organizations provide the bulk of urban health care services. Programming and priorities of the nongovernment organizations were at best loosely coordinated.

A union-level health and family welfare center provided the first contact between the people and the health care system and was the nucleus of primary health care delivery. As of 1985 there were 341 functional subdistrict health centers, 1,275 rural dispensaries (to be converted to union-level health and family welfare centers), and 1,054 union-level health and family welfare centers. The total number of hospital beds at the subdistrict level and below was 8,100.

District hospitals and some infectious-disease and specialized hospitals constituted the second level of referral for health care. In the mid-1980s, there were 14 general hospitals (with capacities ranging from 100 to 150 beds), 43 general district hospitals (50 beds each), 12 tuberculosis hospitals (20 to 120 beds each), and 1 mental hospital (400 beds). Besides these, there were thirty-eight urban outpatient clinics, forty-four tuberculosis clinics, and twenty-three school health clinics. Ten medical college hospitals and eight postgraduate specialized institutes with attached hospitals constituted the third level of health care.

In the mid-1980s, of the country's 21,637 hospital beds, about 85 percent belonged to the government health services. There was only about one hospital bed for every 3,600 people. In spite of government plans, the gap between rural and urban areas in the availability of medical facilities and personnel remained wide. During the monsoon season and other recurrent natural disasters, the already meager services for the rural population were severely disrupted.

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