Bangladesh 1993-1994 Demographic and Health ... - Measure DHS

11.4 ConclusionIn conclusion, it is apparent from the findings of the 1993-94 Bangladesh Demographic and HealthSurvey that the demographic transition is proceeding rapidly in Bangladesh. To achieve replacement-levelfertility in the context of a large and growing population will require further refinements of the familyplanning program, particularly in equipping family planning program outreach and clinic workers to respondmore effectively to problems users experience with their methods, which might result in discontinuation.Staff training and facilities should be upgraded to ensure the provision of high-quality services, especiallyfor users of permanent and longer-term temporary family planning methods.As improved child survival is an essential objective, both for humanitarian reasons and as a precursorto lower fertility, further efforts must be made to upgrade village level health facilities to enable provisionof adequate preventive and curative child health care. The persistent challenge of maternal and reproductivemorbidity and mortality requires more widespread knowledge of risk indicators at the individual andcommunity levels, in conjunction with a more effective referral system to deal with difficult births and otherreproductive health problems.Finally, it should not be forgotten that demographic change is dependent not only on the factorsexplored in the present study, but also on many aspects of social change not covered here. Broaderintersectoral approaches encouraging greater economic activity, decisionmaking power, and freedom ofmovement for women, will undoubtedly accelerate the developments which are crucial to the future wellbeing of Bangladesh.141