Inter-lInkages between PoPulatIon DynamIcs anD DeveloPment In ...

HealthAs investment for good population health is an essential element for social and economic development ofhuman development and to redress population growth, the PRSP 2 has the following strategies under theHealth, Nutrition and Population Sector (HNPS):Some of the strategies under the Health sub-sector are as follows:• Maternal and RH. Pregnant women who are poor will be providedwith Health Cards to allow them to have access to all health carefacilities, including RH and MCH;• Women’s general health. Household visits, counselling, massiveawareness creation and social support are implemented to encouragewomen to utilise the health facilities;• Adolescent health. Increase access to services; encourage NGOsand the private sector to provide adolescent health services,education and life skills training programmes; and• Urban health. Expand and intensify PPP model to improve coverageamong the urban population, especially the poor and slum dwellers.No pragmatic policy planningand meaningful programmedevelopment are possiblewithout taking population andits subset into account; andnecessary measures to reducefertility and mortality have tobe taken as developmentobjectivesPRSP 2Some of the strategies under the Population and FP sub-sector are as follows:• FP. Build Health and Family Welfare Centres (HFWCs) in 1,000 Unions along with doctors’ accommodation,and one bed for safe delivery at each HFWC; reinforce couple registration system and provide cards to alleligible couples where date of workers’ visit and replenishment of supplies, pregnancy, delivery and etc.will be recorded; and capacity development of all supervisory functionaries at national, district and Upazilalevels; and• RH and MCH. FP providers such as Family Welfare Assistants (FWAs), Family Welfare Visitors (FWVs),doctors and skilled birth attendants to increase antenatal care (ANC), post-natal care and follow-up tofurther reduce MMR, IMR and under-5 mortality.In terms of nutrition, the National Nutrition Project will be extended to more Upazilas, and more rural womenwill be trained on supplementary food preparation and allied services.Generally, the focus is to reduce MMR and IMR; improve the nutrition level of children, pregnant women,lactating mothers, adolescents and newlywed women as well as promote the use of contraception and makingit accessible to young couples, particularly those who are extremely poor.Water and SanitationSafe drinking water coverage is about 83%. Households with sanitary latrines are about 84.5% in the ruralareas and between 84.5-87.6% in the municipal and city areas. Major efforts planned in the PRSP 2 are toimplement a water safety plan; prepare a master plan for rural and urban water supply, environmental friendlysanitation, sewerage, drainage and solid waste management system; develop surface water sources for watersupply; government and NGO partnership for waste disposal and water for slum dwellers; and protectingrivers.Measures to address the serious water problems in metropolitan cities of Dhaka, Chittagong and Narayangonjinclude: to create more surface water treatment reservoirs; preserve and create wetlands and water bodiesaround the cities; issue law restricting indiscriminate water extraction; recharge ground water; and keepsurface water reservoirs free from pollution.GenderThe PRSP 2 affirms that “addressing the gender dimensions of poverty and creating gender responsiveinterventions enhances the likelihood of success of poverty reduction efforts.” The current challenges facedinclude feminisation of poverty, violence against women (VAW) and exploitation, women and children trafficking,early marriage and dowry.6