By Simon Ebegbulem
BENIN—THE Edo State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, has raised an alarm over what it described as the devastating effect of urbanization on the health of Nigerians.

It called on government at all levels to include health considerations when making policies because many of the negative effects are suffered by the poor.

The state chairman of NMA, Dr. Philip Ugbodaga, made this known in his address at the opening of the 2010 Physician’s Week, yesterday in Benin City. Ugbodaga said, the theme for this year’s Physician’s Week, ‘Urbanisation: A challenge for public health,’ was chosen in recognition of the effect urbanization has had on our collective health.

According to him, “it has been shown that movement of people from rural to urban areas often alters the characteristic epidemiological disease profile and at the same time, new diseases appear or old ones re-emerge.

Such is the case of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, yellow fever among others. At the same time, urbanization is associated with changes in diet and exercise, which increase the prevalence of obesity with increased risks of type 11 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”

He noted that children were susceptible to diseases when they are born and developed in an environment characterized by overcrowding, poor hygiene and lack of space for recreation and study, adding that as a result of this situation, the “World Bank estimates that by 2035, cities will become the predominant sites of poverty.

“We must do all that is necessary as a people to eradicate poverty through insistence on good governance and a determination to fight corruption,” he added.

“ The people have enormous power in a representative democracy and we must hold our leaders at all levels accountable for their actions and inactions. Therefore, our goal must be to draw the attention of government and to involve them in a shared effort to put health at the heart of urban policy” he stated.