Good health is essential to living a happy and fulfilling life but for thousands of people living in some of the poorest regions within the developing world, access to good healthcare, clean water and sanitation feels like a distant dream.
Due to lack of resources and planning, many third world countries are unable to put in place a proper health infrastructure. This results in the citizens suffering and a general decline in public health. Even in many developing nations, the level of health care is different depending on geographic location, socioeconomic class and landscape. In rural areas, the hospitals are far and few, often lacking in basic supplies and medicines.
Health care is also not free and often costly. In communities where people do not have money to feed their families, health care is not a priority. The people, no matter their health, will put off visiting a doctor in favour of putting food on the table for their family.
Malnutrition weakens the immune system, which in turn makes a person more susceptible to diseases and infections. As a result, life expectancy is a lot lower in marginalised, poverty stricken areas. Infant mortality rates, and deaths during child birth are also high.
Heart disease, tuberculosis, water related diseases, lung and kidney disease are still the top killers in many of these countries. In countries like Pakistan, efforts are still on-going to eradicate polio. Due to a lack of awareness, a lot of uneducated people opt out of giving their infants the essential vaccines needed.
