Setting the Context: An Overview of Selected South Asian Countries

This chapter provides the context for the chapters in this handbook, which are set in five South Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. After presenting a brief overview of the countries’ demographic, social and economic characteristics, the chapter then focuses on the situation in the five countries concerning gender equality. The aim is to help readers understand how patriarchal values and harmful gender norms influence differential access to resources and power and inequalities in exposure and susceptibility to health risks. The chapter also provides a glimpse into the legal status and protection of transgender and intersex persons, which are important determinants of their health and well-being. The second half of the chapter reviews the structure of health systems in the five selected countries and their ability to provide healthcare of good quality to all their people without exposing users to catastrophic health expenditures and impoverishment. The health systems of the countries are fragile and mired in multiple crises and have limited potential for addressing health inequities, including those based on gender.