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Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015

Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 139 KEY FACTS Joined Commonwealth: 1973 Population: 377,000 (2013) GDP p.c. growth: -0.3% p.a. 1990–2013 GNI p.c.: US$22,312 (2013) UN HDI 2014: World ranking 51 Life expectancy: 75 years (2013) Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 13 (2013) Largest contribution to mortality: Cardiovascular diseases Government health expenditure: 3.5% of GDP (2012) General information The Commonwealth of The Bahamas is a coral archipelago of around 700 islands and more than 2,000 rocks and cays in the West Atlantic south-east of the coast of Florida, USA, and northeast of Cuba. It straddles the Tropic of Cancer and stretches 970 km. Climate: The climate is cooler than other countries in the Caribbean region but still mild in winter. Winter temperatures average 21°C, summer temperatures 30°C. Most of the rain (averaging 1,100 mm p.a.) falls in May–June and September–October, and there are frequent thunderstorms in summer. The islands are subject to hurricanes from June–November. Environment: The most significant environmental issues are coral reef decay and solid waste disposal. Population: 377,000 (2013); 67 per cent of people live in New Providence, 83 per cent live in urban areas. The population growth rate stood at 1.7 per cent p.a. between the years of 1990 and 2013. In 2013 the birth rate was 15 per 1,000 people (31 in 1970) and life expectancy was 75 years (66 in 1970). Bahamians are largely of African (85 per cent), Afro-European and European origin, as the indigenous Arawaks were wiped out. Economy: The Bahamas is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank. Health Child and maternal health: The rate of infant mortality in The Bahamas was ten deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013, with an under-five mortality rate of 13 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2012. While the under-five mortality figure has fallen since the early 1990s, it is not yet in line with the country’s target of eight deaths per 1,000 live births, as defined by Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4). In 2012 the three most prominent known causes of death for children below the age of five years were acute respiratory infections (32 per cent), prematurity (13 per cent) and congenital anomalies (12 per cent). Other contributory causes were intrapartum-related complications (seven per cent), injuries (seven per cent) and neonatal sepsis (six per cent). In 2013 the adjusted maternal mortality stood at 37 deaths per 100,000 live births (estimate by UN agencies/World Bank). Burden of disease: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for an estimated 72 per cent of all mortality in The Bahamas in 2012. The most prevalent NCDs in are cardiovascular diseases, which accounted for 33 per cent of total deaths across all age groups in 2012. Cancer, diabetes and non-communicable variants of respiratory diseases contributed 17 per cent, seven per cent and one per cent towards total mortality, respectively (2012). Injuries accounted for eight per cent of deaths in 2012. Communicable diseases along with maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions in The Bahamas accounted for an estimated 20 per cent of all mortality in 2012. The prevalence of HIV in The Bahamas, as a percentage of the population aged 15–49 years, was 3.2 per cent in 2012 and showed some reduction in the period 1990–2012. Malaria is usually not endemic to The Bahamas, though some cases were reported on the island of Great Exuma in the period 2006–08. Estimated incidences of tuberculosis (TB) fell by approximately a third in the period 1990–2013, while estimated mortality (when mortality data excludes cases comorbid with HIV) rose slightly overall in the same period. The most commonly diagnosed mental illness in The Bahamas is schizophrenia, followed by mood disorders. Health systems: In 2012 government expenditure on health was 3.5 per cent of GDP, equivalent to US$759 per capita. In the most The Bahamas


Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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