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Bangladesh
: Health & Sports
Health
During the nineties, considerable progress has been
achieved in Bangladesh in the fields of Health and
Family Welfare. The Immunization Program, which
has been acclaimed worldwide, now covers 70% of
children compared to 55% in 1990-91. Primary Health-care
facilities have been expanded throughout the country.
Infant and maternal mortality rates have come down
dramatically. Contraceptive Prevalence Rate has
increased to around 50 percent, as a result of which
population growth rate is now below 2 percent.
The Government is actively involved in providing
primary health care facilities though Union and
Thana Health Complexes, secondary health care facilities
through District level hospitals, and tertiary health-care
facilities through Medical College Hospitals, Post-graduate
Institutes and specialized hospitals at divisional
and national levels.
Apart from Government initiatives, a good number
of NGOs and private organizations are playing an
important role in the health sector. Clinic facilities,
health care services on immunization, MCH-FP, Nutrition,
Health-education, provision of safe drinking water,
sanitation, control of epidemics and endemic diseases,
supply of essential drugs, ect. Are some of the
fields in which they are working.
Sports
The people of Bangladesh are sports-loving
people. The government has also attached due importance
to development of games and sports. Football, Cricket.
Hockey. Swimming and Rowing, Kahaddi. Volleyball,
Badminton, Basketball, Lawn Tennis, Table Tennis
and Chess are popular games in the country.
The strategies and programs pursued by the present
government for development of sports include : Development
of selected indigenous less costly games and sports
for wider mass participation specially in rural
areas; Encouraging female participation at all levels
of games and sports; Consolidation and better utilization
of existing sports facilities; Strengthening the
existing College of Physical Education and establishment
of additional colleges; Construction of more women's
sports complexes, Regular training sessions and
workshops on sports; Holding of national zonal and
regional sports competition.
ns regularly: Intensive training programs for sports
talents; Provision of sufficient numbers of playgrounds,
indoor stadiums and other sports facilities in each
district and thana: Distribution of sports gears
to facilitate sports activities in the country
A National Sports Policy has been announced by the
government recently. The government has also taken
up plans to develop playing fields in all the unions
of the Country. There are clear signs of resurgence
from past Stagnation in the sporting arena. Bangladesh
for the first time became champions in 1997 ICC
trophy cricket championship, thereby hooking a place
for 1999 World Cup Cricket finals.
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