Health systems and maternal and child survival in Central Asian Republics

Purpose: To describe the status of health care systems in five Central Asian Republics {CAR): Kyrgzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan, with particular attention to women's and children's health. Organizing construct: Changing mortality profiles are investigated using the "protracted-polarized" model of epidemiologic transition. Sources: Empirical evidence was drawn from the World Health Organization (WHO) database for the region, along with additional evidence presented at a maternal-child health conference held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on November 11-14, 1998. The conference was sponsored by the Albert Schweitzer Institute and the Soros Foundation. This evidence is evaluated for completeness, validity, and reliability. Trends are identified using the 1998 and 1999 World Health Reports and 1999/2000 World Bank Development Report. Findings: Incomplete data prohibited comprehensive analysis. Available data indicated high but variable rates of maternal and child mortality and overall declines in health status and the health care infrastructure in the 1990s. Conclusions: Data collection and analysis from this part of the world are often incomplete and unreliable. Future research should focus on improving maternal and child health indicators by enhancing resource sharing and opportunities for international collaboration.