Bahrain

Bahrain is an archipelago in the Persian Gulf, just east of the Saudi Arabian coast. At 668 square kilometers (266 square miles), it is the smallest of the Arab nations. It has a reputation as a modern, cosmopolitan nation; King Hamid bin Isa Al Khalifa announced a series of reforms upon taking the throne in 2002 that included suffrage for women and open parliamentary elections. There are a few signs of stress within the small kingdom. Oil deposits, long the source of Bahraini wealth, are beginning to dwindle.

The population is 708,600 and includes 235,000 foreign workers. Annual population growth is 1.39 percent. The birth rate is 17.53 per 1,000 and the death rate is 4.21 per 1,000. Median age in the kingdom is 29.7 years. Life expectancy at birth is currently 72.18 years for males and 77.25 years for females. Bahrain is a hub for international shipping and transport, with a strong petroleum and refining sector. Ninety percent of Bahrainis live in urban areas. The gross national income is $10,840. With a favorable climate and high standard of living, there is low risk of communicable disease in Bahrain. The Ministry of Health counted 71 cases of malaria, 4 cases of measles, 171 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), and 433 “unspecified” illnesses in 2005.

Little is known about the extent of HIV/AIDS in Bahrain, although the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) reports that the country has a good surveillance system for AIDS, TB, and sexually transmitted diseases, and conducts regular reports. The adult prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS is around 0.2 percent. In the 1990s, the country began mandating premarital blood testing, which has limited cases of mother-to-child transmissions. Donated blood is also screened. The ministry of health reported 10 new cases of AIDS in 2005.

Morbidity and mortality in Bahrain is driven by noncommunicable disease. The leading causes of death reported by the ministry of health were circulatory diseases; unclassified illnesses; cancers; endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disorders; external causes; respiratory diseases; infectious or parasitic disease; diseases of the genitourinary systems; digestive diseases; and conditions originating in the perinatal period.

Women and children are well treated within the kingdom. Contraceptive use is over 60 percent, and the total fertility rate is 2.57 children per woman. Ninety-seven percent of women receive prenatal care, and 98 percent have trained attendants monitor them in childbirth. The maternal mortality rate is 28 deaths per 100,000 live births. Infant mortality is nine deaths per 1,000 births, and child mortality (ages 1–5) is 11 per 1,000. Children have access to medical care and free education.

Bahrain devotes 4 percent of its Gross Domestic Product to healthcare and spends $619 per capita. There is both a public and private healthcare system, with nine government hospitals and nine private hospitals and dozens of clinics, including some run by the kingdom's largest employers for the use of their workers. All the major medical specialties are available, and 100 percent of the population has access to care. The ministry of health recorded 4.46 million outpatient visits and 38,261 for the reporting year ending in 2005.

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