Health in Bangladesh


Posted on 11-18-2009	Translate this page

Ill-health is a serious challenge that many households have to face, with specific impact on vulnerable groups such as women and children. This short paper from the Institute of Development Studies provides a background to catastrophic illness, health perceptions, attitudes and beliefs. The authors consider health related interventions and emphasize that the design of interventions to counter health-related shocks need to recognize the variety of existing social mechanisms in place to cope with health challenges.

The paper discusses how most societies use a combination of universal entitlement programs, targeted benefits and discretionary arrangements to help households cope with major illness, complementing a variety of “informal” community and family-based arrangements. It warns that it is dangerous to generalise, but the richer the society, the smaller its structural inequalities and the more sophisticated and stable its institutional arrangements the more likely are universal entitlements to play a significant role. It is highlighted that there are major methodological challenges to be overcome in understanding health shocks. Research in this area entails the development of a range of innovative methodologies, combining quantitative and qualitative data. The design of appropriate support will almost certainly depend to a considerable extent on the existing situation in any given country. It is important for research to explore a wide range of national and local circumstances in order to assess the potential and limitations of different approaches.

Authors: H. Lucas; G. Bloom; Institute of Development Studies (IDS)
Publisher: Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, 2006

Download the document