With the Millennium Development Goals due to expire in 2015, The Bahamas has committed to taking further action to achieve the goals in the required time frame. While progress has been made, significant improvements are required in order to bring the country’s medical care up to the standards laid out by the goals. To achieve MDG 4, the country should reduce under-five deaths per 1,000 live births to eight, and increase measles immunisation to 100 per cent by 2015. In 2012 under-five mortality was approximately 17 deaths per 1,000 live births, showing an increase from 16 in 2011. Measles immunisation was at 91 per cent for the same year, showing a slight improvement from 2011. These figures suggest that significant progress will need to be made in order to achieve MDG 4 by 2015. In 2012 a new Medi-Centre Medical Plaza was established in Nassau with a specific focus on obstetrics and gynaecology, and it is hoped that this will help to achieve the requirements of MDG 4.
Improved maternal health is also a specific requirement of the Millennium Development Goals. To this effect, MDG 5 requires the reduction of the number maternal deaths by three-quarters in the period 1990-2015. When applying this target to The Bahamas, maternal mortality needs to fall to 13 cases per 100,000 live births.
In 2011 The Bahamas had 47 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (an estimate from UN agencies/World Bank), indicating that there is some way to go before MDG 5 is achieved, especially given that there has been little notable reduction in the number of maternal deaths since 1990. Part of the goal also stipulates that 100 per cent of births must be attended by a skilled health professional. In the period 2007-12 this figure stood at 99 per cent, suggesting that the target has been virtually achieved.
Finally, countries working towards the Millennium Development Goals must aim for a reduction in the prevalence of HIV, malaria and other diseases in line with MDG 6. The prevalence of HIV among people aged 15-49 in The Bahamas has fallen by a third since the 1990s, but remains significant. Levels of estimated incidences of TB have also seen a net reduction since 1990, although net mortality from TB, excluding cases co-morbid with HIV, is slightly higher than it was in 1990, suggesting that progress is needed in this area if this goal is to be achieved
