Access to healthcare services can mean the difference between life and death
Bangladesh is severely lacking in sufficient healthcare, both in workers and supplies. An estimated 90% of healthcare workers operate in secondary urban areas, while approximately 60% of Bangladesh's population lives in rural districts. This data implies there is almost no healthcare service available to poorer citizens. In a separate study in 2007, UNICEF found that in Bangladesh only 51% and 18% of women receive pre and postnatal care, respectively. The study also showed that 41% of the children under the age of 5 are underweight and the mortality rate is 0.061% for this age group. To improve healthcare for underprivileged people in Bangladesh, ECHO has taken on multiple projects.
ECHO established a satellite healthcare center in Mirpur, Bangladesh to provide mothers and their children with preventative and curative care, nutrition education, HIV/AIDS awareness. ECHO also runs satellite healthcare centers in other parts of Bangladesh which not only provides services to treat illnesses, but also provides diagnostic services, including ultra-sonograms and routine blood, urine and stool tests. Patients are also provided with free medicine and Vitamin A supplements. All of these services are possible with just one doctor, one lab technician, one nurse, and one field worker. Because of the generosity of our donors, we have been able to greatly increase the number of beneficiaries of this project over the years.
