Belarus

Maternal and Child Health

Belarus's per capita expenditure for health in 2002 was estimated at $93, representing 10.5 percent of total government expenditures. Most health care costs (73.9 percent) are supported by the state, while 26.1 percent of health care expenses are privately funded, and about 0.1 percent comes from external resources.

Health care in Belarus is centrally organized and funded, but delivered at a local level. Excess hospital capacity is a problem retained from the Soviet years, and Belarus has a high number of health professionals, although they are unevenly distributed by geography and specialty. Health care is free at the point of use, and the government's goal is to provide universal access to care, which has been achieved in some categories of maternal and childcare. For instance, child immunization rates for common diseases such as measles and hepatitis B are nearly 100 percent, and nearly all births are attended by skilled health personnel. Modern contraception use among women is reported at 42 percent. Specialty clinics serving women's health are typical in polyclinics, and deliver abortion services and gynecological and obstetric care.

The maternal mortality in 2000 was 36 per 1,000 live births, the stillbirth rate was 6 per 1,000 live births, and the neonatal mortality rate was 5 per 1,000 live births; all are substantially lower than the average for comparable European countries.

A unique event that affected both maternal and infant health in Belarus was the Chernobyl accident in 1986, which contaminated 23 percent of Belarus with radiation. Various studies have found conflicting results in terms of birth defects or illness among children whose mothers were exposed to the radiation, and among the women themselves.