Underdeveloped Healthcare System

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Underdeveloped healthcare system

Underdeveloped healthcare systems and maldistribution of health care are important determinants of health.

South East Asia Region (SEAR) Scenario

  To tackle Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the region, there is no developed health care system. This leads to the worsening of NCDs epidemic.


  Health workers particularly concentrate in urban areas, which lead to unequal distribution of healthcare workforce. Mostly health personnel are working at the institutional level.

  Insufficient attention by the workforce, inadequate training to handle NCD services at the primary care, unavailability of essential drugs are also major reasons for under developed health system.

  Health care personnel in every category are understaffed, with a regional average of five physicians and 13 nurses/midwives per 10000 population, but the global average is 14 and 30 respectively.

  The health infrastructure is also poor, where the number of hospital beds and the number of health centers are inversely proportional.

  Health expenditure ratios indicate a large variation among member countries. There is a slight improvement shown in pocket expenditure and general government expenditures on health.

  In most of the member countries an inadequate healthcare infrastructure was seen and also value of the public health unrecognized.

Health workforce in Member countries of SEAR

Physicians 2000-2010 Nursing and Midwifery
Personnel 2000-2010
Public health workers
2000-2010
Community health workers
2000-2010
Country Number Density* Number Density* Number Density* Number Density*
Bangladesh 43,315 3.0 39,992 2.7 6,091 0.4 48,692 3.3
Bhutan 52 0.2 545 3.2 80 0.4 195 0.9
DPR Korea 74,597 32.9 93,414 41.2 2,685 1.2 - -
India 660,801 6.0 1,430,555 13 - - 50,715 0.5
Indonesia 65,722 2.9 465,662 20.4 6,493 0.3 - -
Maldives 552 16.0 1,539 44.5 - - 478 13.8
Myanmar 23,709 4.6 41,424 8.0 2,013 0.4 3,247 0.6
Nepal 5,384 2.1 11,825 4.6 172 0.1 16,206 6.3
Srilanka 10,279 4.9 40,678 19.3 2,411 1.1 - -
Thailand 18,918 3.0 96,704 15.2 2,151 0.4 - -
Timer-Leste 79 1.0 1,795 21.9 22 0.3 10 0.1
SEAR 903,408 5.4 2,224,133 13.3 - - 119,543 0.9
Global 9,171,877 14.0 19,379,771 29.7 - - 1,369,772 4.0
 
Source: WHO-2011 report
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SEAR Countries

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