DHAKA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has approved 200 million U.S. dollars to help Bangladesh improve primary healthcare services for treatment, prevention, and referral for common illnesses and medical waste management in the country's various regions.
The Urban Health, Nutrition and Population Project will establish a network of primary health centers offering a broad range of health, nutrition, and population services along with a direct referral system with secondary and tertiary-level facilities, said the Washington-based lender in a statement published on Wednesday.
It said about 2.5 million children under five in these urban areas will receive services.
"Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in improving healthcare, particularly in rural areas," said Abdoulaye Seck, World Bank country director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.
"But urban areas have limited public healthcare facilities. Hence, poor people and slum dwellers are often forced to turn to more expensive private healthcare. Further, with high population density, climate change, and rapid urbanization, new health challenges are emerging, including increased dengue cases and infectious and non-communicable diseases."
The project will improve antenatal services for women, with a target of over 250,000 women receiving at least four checkups during pregnancy, said the statement, adding that it will also support hypertension screening and follow-up of about 1.3 million adults.
"The impact of climate change on mosquito-borne and infectious diseases is often overlooked. An overreliance on fogging or spraying targeting adult mosquitoes and untargeted larval control is not an efficient use of resources," said Iffat Mahmud, senior operations officer at the World Bank and Task Team Leader for the Project.
"As mosquito lifecycle is influenced by climatic conditions, the project will strengthen the mosquito control laboratory and build capacities to implement innovative mosquito control measures and other community-based interventions," said Iffat Mahmud. ■
