Laos obtains significant achievements in poverty reduction

Laos has obtained significant socio-economic achievements with poverty reduction rate falling from 33.4 percent in 2003 to 24-25 percent in 2010, said a Lao senior official.
Laos has obtained significant socio-economic achievements with poverty reduction rate falling from 33.4 percent in 2003 to 24-25 percent in 2010, said a Lao senior official.

The rate of children going to school rose to 91.6 percent in the 2008-2009 academic year from 89.2 percent in the 2007-2008 academic year, Duangdy Oudthachack, Head of the Lao National Assembly’s Committee for Socio-Cultural Affairs.

The fatality rates of pregnant women and under-five children also dropped from 405 to 300 among 100,000 and 98 to 75 among 100,000, respectively, this year.

Thanks to the government’s efforts, Laos has built more hospitals and medical stations, and implemented the community-based healthcare programme nationwide, maintaining the country’s obtained achievements and preventing malnutrition among under-five children, the official said.

However, he said, the threat of HIV/AIDS pandemic is a big challenge for the country’s development. The current HIV/AIDS infection rate in Laos is under 1 percent of the country’s population./.

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