Brussels, 19/04/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commissioner for External Relations, Chris Patten, signed a convention allowing the payment of an aid of EUR 70 million for a "health and population" programme in Bangladesh, with a cost of 2.7 billion over four years. This project accompanies a wide ranging reform of the Bangladeshi health providers, supported by four other donors, such as the World Bank, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Germany. Approved by the Commission at the start of the year (see EUROPE of 15 January, p.11), the "health and population sector programme" (HPSP) had as aim to promote the notion of client service in the Bangladeshi health services, improve the efficiency and reduce the duplications between family planning and health. The improvement of the legislation concerning the private sector should favour, among others, collaboration between the private and public health services. The stakes is to allow the poorest to have access to certain care, notably caesarean births to reduce the "unacceptable level of infant mortality," indicated the Commission.