2011 Grant Recipient
Bangladesh
PhD Program, Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, JHSPH
The goal of this research study is to improve the performance of community clinics in effectively delivering maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) and family planning (FP) services in rural Bangladesh. The study has the following objectives:
• To conduct a baseline situational assessment to document the operational processes, stakeholder and institutional context for establishing community clinics. The assessment will encompass a review of existing referral system, human resources, supervision, information systems, supplies, management, functioning and utilization of the clinics as well as barriers to optimal functioning.
• To design, implement and evaluate strategies to improve the quality and coverage of MNCH and FP services provided through community clinics.
The technical oversight and implementation for this study will be jointly shared between Government of Bangladesh (GoB), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR, B) ,and Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
Personal Narrative:
Having spent my entire life in Southeast Asia, conducting research in Bangladesh was not very different from my experiences in South and Southeast Asia, however, every country and project comes with its own set of politics and hence is always a new experience and one that has to be learned from. Overall, I was able to truly benefit from this experience and to grow both personally and professionally in dealing with the ground realities of development and international health. Bangladeshis encounter countless obstacles in receiving proper access to care; this was one of the main reasons we were putting our study into place. These barriers are especially significant for Bangladeshi women, as although great and substantial progress has been made in terms of maternal and neonatal mortality reduction, issues such as cost, transportation, limited autonomy of travel are all very real and remain to be challenges for women in this nation. For example, because women in rural areas or those living within more conservative households or communities need to be accompanied by a male member of the family when they seek care, it provides yet another level of restriction on care seeking behaviors and health care access. Community health workers do assist in alleviating some of these issues, simply by being mobile health workers who are able to counsel women and provide basic treatment, care and referrals. However, this system is not standardized nor is it sustainable if not effectively backed by the government or ruling party. Thus, although the challenges remain for Bangladesh, the experience overall has made me hopeful for the future of the country as the next generation of Bangladeshis are truly committed and intelligent people who are willing to bring about great change into the nation and to challenge traditional norms and mindsets that produce adverse consequences to health of those who are most vulnerable. |
