Timor-Leste became the first new sovereign state of the 21st Century in 2002, following 30 years of occupation by Indonesia.
At that time, Timor-Leste experienced some of the worst health standards and life expectancy in the Asia-Pacific region, including diseases and conditions which have been eradicated in Australia and elsewhere.
Since independence, there has been a massive improvement in both healthcare and life expectancy, with a combination of local infrastructure and aid funded programs.
Nonetheless, there are still significant gaps to be addressed, particularly in maternal and early childhood (neonatal) healthcare
Language: Tetum, Portuguese, Bahasa Indonesia, English
Religion: Christian (mostly Roman Catholic)
Currency: U.S. Dollar
GDP per Capita: U.S. $5,800
Literacy Percent: 41
Life Expectancy: 62.5
Infant mortality rate total: 38.79 deaths/1,000 live births
Total fertility rate: 5.11 children born/woman
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 42.4%
15-24 years: 19.18%
25-54 years: 29.3%
55-64 years: 4.8%
65 years and over: 3.7%
The Order of Malta Clinic offers so much opportunity to assist the people of Timor- Leste. The services it will offer will enable the Timorese people to access health care that would otherwise be unavailable or unaffordable.
[1] http://www.healthdata.org/australia. Accessed September 2017
[2] Defined as at least two standard deviations below the mean: 2009-10 data. Via www.who.int Accessed September 2017
[3] Vishnu Khanal et al, “Under-utilization of antenatal care services in Timor-Leste: results from Demographic and Health Survey 2009-10”, Biomed Central Pregnancy & Childbirth, 2015 (15:211)
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