Challenges of health programmes in slums

Abstract

The world is becoming increasingly urban. Of the projected increase of 1·1 billion in the world population between 2010 and 2025, virtually all will be urban dwellers. 1 UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population DivisionWorld urbanization prospects: the 2011 revision. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division, New York2012 Google Scholar Urbanisation is mostly happening in low-income regions, with Africa having the highest rate of all continents. 2 UN Human Settlements ProgrammeThe state of African cities 2010: governance, inequalities and urban land markets. United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Nairobi2010 Google Scholar The population growth rate in urban areas is almost double the rural rate but, more importantly, the slum growth rate is higher than the overall urban rate. 2 UN Human Settlements ProgrammeThe state of African cities 2010: governance, inequalities and urban land markets. United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Nairobi2010 Google Scholar In the next few decades, the proportion of the urban population living in slums in sub-Saharan Africa might therefore get even higher than the estimated 60% in 2010. 2 UN Human Settlements ProgrammeThe state of African cities 2010: governance, inequalities and urban land markets. United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Nairobi2010 Google Scholar Overall, the number of slum dwellers in low-income and middle-income countries is projected to double from one to two billion during the next 30 years. 3 UN Human Settlements ProgrammeSlums of the world: the face of urban poverty in the new millennium? United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Nairobi2010 Google Scholar