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George Washington University

Publication Date

Fall 2012

Program Name

Mongolia: Geopolitics and the Environment

Abstract

Mongolia is a country undergoing an incredible amount of change. Last year, in 2011, they had the fastest growing economy in the world, with a 17.2% increase in their GDP, according to the World Bank. A mere 22 years ago, Mongolia was a communist country, and today they are a parliamentary democracy. The country has opened itself up to the rest of the world and a free market economy, and experienced a very drastic shift in this direction in the early 1990's. Many Mongolians will tell you that the mindset of Mongolia's citizens has made a drastic shift since communism and socialism. One woman gave me an example of this shift when she said that during socialism, all children shared their toys with one another, but now children are very possessive of their belongings and think in a more individualistic manner. If this change has even effected how children play with one another, it is understandable that it has also affected other areas of society.

Some things are changing faster than others. One area which is lagging behind in this change is the maternal healthcare system. Although the maternal mortality rate has decreased drastically in recent years, a staggering 46% between 2001 and 2007, there are many other issues which need to be addressed within the system (Yadamsuren, Buyanjargal, Mario Merialdi, and Ishnyam Davaadorj). Currently, family members cannot easily enter the maternity hospitals and be with the women giving birth, there are an astounding number of patients per doctor/nurse, and there aren't enough hospital beds for all of the women (Informant B). These three things need to change. Family should be allowed into the hospital, there should be more doctors, to even out the doctor to patient ratio, and more hospitals need to be built to give all patients a bed. Throughout this paper, I will explain why these are important issues, and what women and doctors in Ulaanbaatar think about these issues.

Disciplines

Maternal and Child Health | Maternal, Child Health and Neonatal Nursing | Obstetrics and Gynecology

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