The Indirect Costs of Development
A significant portion of global health today focuses on less developed regions. A great deal of effort, time and resources are put into alleviating the hardship’s that come with a lack of resources sand enabling growth and development. The push for development and progress often tops government agendas, as it rightly should. Economic strides forward will lead to an improved quality of life, greater equality and better access to healthcare all of which leads to improved health outcomes. History provides us with countless examples and case studies to prove that this is true and economics gives us more than enough empirical evidence to back the theories behind the benefits development brings. However, one big difference between the development that takes place today and what economic theories are based on are the rate at which progress is taking place today. Countries in Africa and South East Asia are growing at an extremely rapid pace and though progress is being made in the right direction the speed at which it is happening poses its own unique challenges. South Africa is often looked upon as a beacon of development in Sub Saharan Africa, but today one of its biggest cities Cape Town is facing a shutdown of piped water. The poor and inefficient management over the years leaves them in this crippling situation, statistics released by GCX for a water conservation report show that 36% of piped water is lost due to leakages and not collecting payments. Come July, the people of Cape Town will be forced to wait in line to collect a maximum of 25 liters per person per day causing unnecessary hardship and stress.
Industrialization and urbanization are without a doubt targets for much of the developing world but this progress must be closely followed by improvements in infrastructure and government investment. With cities growing, water shortages will be a growing problem. Governments must work to enforce waste management and treatment techniques that already exist and are readily available all whilst addressing the inefficiencies that currently exist and propagate health issues that can be avoidable. Development should continue to be a top priority for developing nations but it should not come with an increased risk of health issues.