Bangladesh has reduced the mortality rate for children below the age of five by 71%, exceeding the Millennium Development Goal (MDG)-2015 target of 66% reduction, the government has claimed.
Compared to figures in 1990 when the under-five child mortality was 144 per 1,000 live births, the number has dropped to 41 per 1,000 live births in 2012.
This information is set to be published today in the Health Bulletin-2013, an annual publication by the Management Information System (MIS) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The Dhaka Tribune has obtained a copy of the bulletin prior to its publication.
The latest bulletin said Bangladesh had already attained the MDG-4 target of reducing child mortality rate, adding that the information was revealed in a recent publication titled “Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed Progress Report 2013” by Unicef.
According to the same report, the current infant mortality rate in Bangladesh was 33 per 1,000 live births and the neonatal mortality rate was 24 per 1,000 live births.
Neonatal mortality rate made up 59% of the under-five mortality rate and 80% of the infant mortality rate.
Bangladesh has pledged to prevent an additional 108,000 deaths annually to reduce the national under-five mortality rate to 20 per 1,000 live births by 2015.
One of the important indicators of MDG-4 was ensuring universal health coverage of measles vaccination among one-year-old children by 2015. Bangladesh is also reportedly on track of reaching the indicator, as the current coverage of measles vaccination was 86%.
Dr Abul Kalam Azad, additional director general (planning) of the DGHS, told the Dhaka Tribune: “It is very good news for the whole nation that Bangladesh has attained the Millennium Development Goal target about reducing child mortality rate. But the neonatal mortality is still very high, and to reduce it is the big challenge for Bangladesh.”
He said according to the Bangladesh Health and Demographic Survey (BHDS)-2011, the mortality rate of under-five child used to be 53 per 1,000 live births; but the latest Unicef report showed that it has reduced to 41. The BHDS-2011 put infant mortality rate at 43 per 1,000 live births, but the Unicef report showed that it had dropped to 33.
Dr Azad said there were many coordinated efforts behind the success in reducing child mortality rate, with the government forming pro-public policy focus on girl’s education, different programmes on public health intervention like EPI vaccination, exclusive breast-feeding practice, nutrition etc.
In September 2000, leaders from 189 member nations of the UN agreed to meet eight developments goals, which include health improvements, poverty reduction, environmental sustainability and developing global partnership by 2015.
