Health in Timor-Leste

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Life expectancy in Timor-Leste at birth was at 60.7 in 2007. [1] The fertility rate is at six births per woman. [1] Healthy life expectancy at birth was at 55 years in 2007. [1]

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative [2] finds that Timor-Leste is fulfilling 74.9% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income. [3] When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Timor-Leste achieves 93.1% of what is expected based on its current income. [4] In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves 96.2% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. [5] TImor-Leste falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 35.5% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available. [6]

Malnutrition rates in children have reduced but in 2013 still stood at 51%.

The 2010 maternal mortality rate per 100,000 births for Timor-Leste was 370. This compares with 928.6 in 2008 and 1016.3 in 1990. The under-5 mortality rate per 1,000 births is 60 and the neonatal mortality rate per 1,000 live births is 27. [7] The number of midwives per 1,000 live births is 8 and the lifetime risk of death for pregnant women is 1 in 44. [8]

The country has one of the highest smoking rates in the world, with 33% of the population, including 61% of men, smoking daily. [9]

In 2013 only three deaths from malaria were recorded, an achievement recognized by the World Health Organization.

Healthcare

Government expenditure on health was US$150 per person in 2006. [1] There were only two hospitals and 14 village healthcare facilities in 1974. By 1994, there were 11 hospitals and 330 healthcare centres. [10]

Sergio Lobo, a surgeon is the Health Minister. He says that “Many of the health-related issues are outside the competence of the Minister of Health.” Since independence the country has established a medical school, a nursing school, and a midwifery school. [11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Human Development Report 2009 – Timor-Leste". Hdrstats.undp.org. Archived from the original on 29 April 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  2. ↑ "Human Rights Measurement Initiative – The first global initiative to track the human rights performance of countries". humanrightsmeasurement.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  3. ↑ "Timor-Leste - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  4. ↑ "Timor-Leste - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  5. ↑ "Timor-Leste - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  6. ↑ "Timor-Leste - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  7. ↑ "Timor-Leste" (PDF). United Nations Population Fund. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  8. ↑ "The State Of The World's Midwifery". United Nations Population Fund. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  9. ↑ The country where nearly two-thirds of men smoke, BBC News, Peter Taylor, 4 June 2014
  10. ↑ Robinson, G. If you leave us here, we will die, Princeton University Press 2010, p. 72.
  11. ↑ "East Timor striving for universal access to health care". Lancet. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
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