Cities in distress: a rescue strategy

Too serious to ignore any longer, the world's rampant urban health deterioration now requires serious and fast rescue efforts by not only the health authorities but all government and community sectors. One impetus to national plans of action was the technical discussions at this year's Forty-fourth World Health Assembly whose goal was to map out "strategies for Health for All in the face of rapid urbanization." It became evident that primary health care should be made as relevant to the inmates of the cities' shantytowns as it is to rural inhabitants. ICN's statement at the discussions (p. 108) shares WHO's preoccupation with the unacceptable urban environmental health standards and recommends a strategy based on a primary healthcare approach and intersectoral cooperation. During the talks ICN nurse consultants also voiced ICN's views on mobilizing the communities and the necessary involvement and education of women, who are considered the best representatives from among the urban poor to be involved in community health. Nurses are an indispensable part of these urban health teams and, if they are not already, should start now to become involved in urban policymaking and planning and consider how their national nurses' association can individually or collaboratively support healthy city projects and national healthy city networks. Some guidelines for future strategy can be derived from the following overview of the magnitude of the urban crisis and the WHA technical discussions.