Birth in Sri Lanka
I became curious about
Sri Lanka when my nine year old daughter had to create its flag as part of a
group project. I was curious about exactly where Sri Lanka was. I thought it
might be in India. Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean south of India
(cia.gov). I am glad I looked into birth in Sri Lanka because I discovered that
a country with a per capita income as low as about 800 US dollars a year can
still ensure safer births for its women. About one third of Sri Lankans live
below the poverty line, but "maternal
mortality ratios are among the lowest in the developing world” (WHO, para. 1).
The maternal death rate was only 35 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2010
(Index Mundi). The infant mortality rate was 9.47 per1000 live births in 2012
(Index Mundi). This is compared to 5.98 per 1000 in the United States and 46.07
per 1000 in India. Sri Lanka attributes its success to the high priority it
gives to female literacy and health care. “Today, over 96% of deliveries in Sri
Lanka are attended by a skilled birth attendant and over 90% take place in a
health facility” (WHO, para. 4).
References
Hi Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteThat was really interesting. I had never heard of Sri Lanka before and learned a lot from your post. It really amazed me that a country that is below the poverty level could ensure safer births for woman. It just doesn't seem possible.
Good evening Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteYour post is very insightful. I do not know much about Sri Lanka and I was surprised to learn of their maternal mortality ratio in comparison to other developing nations. After reading that the low ratio is attributed to better female literacy, one may conclude that the maternal mortality rate may improve in other developing nations as a result of improved literacy.
Hi Gigi,
ReplyDeleteYes, they attribute the success to government priority given to female literacy and health care.
Liz Thomas