Bangladesh: Innovation for Universal Health Coverage 1 The Bangladesh paradox: exceptional health achievement despite economic poverty

Bangladesh, the eighth most populous country in the world with about 153 million people, has recently been applauded as an exceptional health performer. In the fi rst paper in this Series, we present evidence to show that Bangladesh has achieved substantial health advances, but the country’s success cannot be captured simplistically because health in Bangladesh has the paradox of steep and sustained reductions in birth rate and mortality alongside continued burdens of morbidity. Exceptional performance might be attributed to a pluralistic health system that has many stakeholders pursuing womencentred, gender-equity-oriented, highly focused health programmes in family planning, immunisation, oral rehydration therapy, maternal and child health, tuberculosis, vitamin A supplementation, and other activities, through the work of widely deployed community health…