BANGLADESH The Grameen Bank health programme

Abstract

In May 1993 the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh ‐ one of the most successful and internationally best‐known self‐help projects ‐ launched a programme to provide poor people in rural areas with basic health care. The first four medical centres were followed by six more by July 1995. The organization and methods of operation of the Grameen Health Programme are based on the tried and tested self‐help principles underlying the loan programme which has been in operation since 1976. The services offered include medical care at reduced fees and free counselling. Target groups are primarily poor women, to whom the programme's women field workers initially give information on simple preventive measures plus advice on avoidance of unwanted pregnancies. This article presents a provisional evaluation based on two primary inquiries conducted in 1994 and 1995. The overall conclusion was that the health programme has still far to go in order to attain the longer‐term objective of becoming self‐financing. Nevertheless, it demonstrates that decentralized access to health services, and preventive healthcare counselling in particular, can be of real assistance to poor people in rural areas.