URBANISATION, URBAN POVERTY AND HEALTH STATUS OF THE URBAN POOR: ISSUES, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Authors/Creators
- 1. Research Scholar, Department of Sociology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow Vidya Vihar, Raebareli Road, Lucknow
Description
By 2040-50, urban India will constitute a 50 per cent share in the total population of the country. Though as per 2011 Census the share of the country’s urban population to its total is still at 31 per cent, urban India has grown five times since 1961 in terms of population. India is going through a crucial phase of transition, from being predominantly a rural country to one where a majority of the people aspire to live in cities. While the number of people residing in urban India is on the rise, equally alarming is the rise in the number of the urban poor. Standing at no less than 76 million, the burgeoning size of the urban poor cannot be ignored. 13.7 million slum households in India live amidst inadequate amenities, poor health outcome, insecurity as well as unstable incomes. One of the key challenges faced by urban poor is their limited capacity to spend on health care. Overcrowded government hospitals often force them to seek treatment from unlicensed and untrained, yet more affordable private providers. Providing health care right from the pre-natal up to adolescence stage is vital in order to ensure healthy growth and quality of life. In this paper an endeavour has been made to contextualise the health problems and challenges faced by urban poor and solutions are being suggested to combat these problems.
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References
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