Urban health in The Gambia: a review

The Gambia is one of the most highly urbanized countries in sub-Saharan Africa with 40% of its population living in urban areas and 26% living in the Greater Banjul Area (GBA). The GBA population is growing at a rate of over 8% per annum. Such rapid urbanization and associated problems of urban slums, degraded environment, inadequate health services, unemployment and poverty are now prompting central government agencies, particularly the Ministry of Health, to plan strategies for future urban development. However, until recently, the health sector has concentrated on rural areas, and there is little information on which to base urban health planning. It is argued here that a first step is to review urban-rural and intra-urban health differences, and data relating to these differences are presented.