tailieunhanh - Health Service Delivery Profile Lao PDR 2012

The coordination of the assessment was done by the National Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition Steering committee (NMIYCNSC) which is the technical advisory body of the government on maternal, infant and young child nutrition issues. In 2008, a core group comprising of various persons from key departments (Annex 1), compiled a draft WBTI report for Kenya after a number of meetings. In 2012, with the support of IBFAN Africa, the National MIYCN steering committee engaged a consultant (Mr. John Maina Mwai) to document the progress of the implementation of the Global Strategy for IYCF and he prepared an assessment report by improving the report document | Health Service Delivery Profile Lao PDR 2012 Compiled in collaboration between WHO and Ministry of Health Lao PDR Lao PDR health service delivery profile Demographics and health situation In 2011 Lao People s Democratic Republic had an estimated population of million with under 15 years of age and above 65 years It is a predominantly natural resource-based landlocked country with an estimated of the population dispersed and living in rural areas in 2010. Many places are difficult to access due to the highly mountainous landscape and up to 21 of the population live in areas with no roads. There are 49 officially recognized ethnic groups. Ethnic Lao people comprise of the total population and inhabit the lowlands predominantly while ethnic minorities mostly live in the highlands. The three broad ethnic groups the Lao Loum Lao Theung and the Lao Soung have smaller ethnic subgroups which exhibit some differences in dialect customs and beliefs including health seeking behaviour and use of traditional or herbal medicine. In the 1950s 1960s and early 1970s Lao has been ravaged by several wars and political instability until in 1975 the communist party took over the reins of the country. In the last ten years Lao PDR has enjoyed average GDP growth of 8 and the country has just become a low-middle income country. This growth is fully driven by foreign direct investment in natural resource extraction industries such as mining deforestation industrial plantations and hydro-electric power. Despite this economic growth and national efforts the proportion of the population living under the poverty line was in 2010 UNDP . The poverty gap is getting wider as are the gaps in access to school food and health care especially among women and . Most of the poor live in rural areas. Recently Lao PDR has become more land-linked with better road access within the country as well as with neighbouring countries especially in the development context of .