Urbanization can be the engine for progress of cities and provide great opportunities for individuals and families to prosper. However, urbanization can bring many difficult health challenges. Rapid, unplanned urbanization, when not managed properly, can give rise to urban poverty, growth of slums, health problems and widening inequities.
Urban health equity is a pressing concern, especially for the poor. The urban poor are often socially excluded, and face the following challenges: lack of social support systems; unsafe living and working conditions; discrimination; isolation, powerlessness; and inability to pay for goods and services.
The poorer a person is, the worse is his or her health. The urban poor suffer from unfavorable, living conditions. Oftentimes, they cannot afford the prohibitive high costs of health services. They face illnesses and premature deaths from preventable deaths, due to lack of safe drinking water, improper sanitation, health facilities, safety, security and health information.
The urban poor is constantly exposed to social and economic determinants of health status and other outcomes. It is often asked: “Why do we keep treating people for illness, only to send them back to the conditions that created the illness in the first place?” Addressing social determinants will help provide the answer to this question.