Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in central Asia. It was a part of the Soviet Union until it gained independence in 1991. With a population of 27.4 million, it has a female life expectancy 68.1 years. Uzbekistan has a birth rate of 26.4 per 1,000, and an infant mortality rate of 70 per 1,000 live births.

Prior to the Russian Revolution, the vast majority of the population followed tribal practices, with mothers giving birth at home. Although there were a few hospitals in Tashkent and other cities, these were only for the wealthy. It was not until the late 1920s that health care became more available to poor urban people, and clinics were built in the countryside for the rural population during the 1930s and 1950s. ...