The Effects of the Increasing World Population in Healthcare Providing

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Ms. Darine Khiari, a dynamic and enthisiastic medical student in University of Constantine III Salah Boubnider, in Algeria. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

The global population (7,975,105,156 currently) is growing exponentially at an alarming rate and a handful of countries are largely responsible for this growth, with the population increasing by about 83 million people each year, a demographic lag -high fertility and low mortality- exaggerates population growth because the fast transition in mortality rates is not accompanied by a transition in fertility, assuming steady fertility declines in many countries, the United Nations states that By 2100 the population is on track to hit 10.8 billion

When we use the term “overpopulation,” we specifically mean a situation in which the Earth cannot regenerate the resources used by the world’s population each year. A World Health Organization (WHO) report released in 2005 stated that overpopulation is “an ecological disturbance in which population exceeds the carrying capacity of the environment”. More people means increased demand for food, water, housing, energy, healthcare, transportation, and more.

with an undermining food production leading to reduced dietary intake leading to malnutrition leading to Reduced cognitive abilities, weakened immunity, wound healing, and infection fighting affecting by result the individuals and thus the society as a whole.

More people once again means more pollution, resulting in congested living conditions,environmental changes, urban crowding and a lack of healthcare facilities which in turn, results in the emergence and transmission of several infectious diseases. 

The rise in antimicrobial resistance is proven to be an unforeseen problem for diseases. An estimated 2 billion people across the globe fall sick every year by drinking contaminated water. Its contamination and inadequate sanitation have been linked to the spread of water-borne diseases, such as typhoid, dysentery, cholera, polio, hepatitis A and diarrhea.

The combined effects of ambient air pollution and household air pollution “are associated with 6.7 million premature deaths annually”, according to the WHO. which is more than the deaths from AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. Household air pollution exposure leads to noncommunicable diseases including stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer.

Overpopulation is a global problem and undeniably the root of many public health problems that cannot be overlooked. Governments, NGOs and Health associations are urged to raise awareness about the problem of overpopulation.

Healthcare institutions need to expand their medical facilities with governmental and private organizations support. A combination of public awareness and contraceptive policies can break the vicious cycle of overpopulation and its related risks.

Resources:

• https://www.mphonline.org/overpopulation-public-health/https://www.prb.org/https://www.prb.org/international/indicator/fertility/snapshothttps://www.worldhunger.org/https://www.wits.ac.za/news/latest-news/general-news/2018/2018-06/population-growth-the-impact-on-health-and-societies.htmlhttps://www.lybrate.com/topic/effects-of-overpopulation-on-public-health/648cd304c3e3a7b84bedec24ff48a44fhttps://www.genphysio.com.au/our-news/causes-of-malnutrition/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4951875/.

About the author

Ms. Darine Khiari is a dynamic and enthisiastic medical student in University of Constantine III Salah Boubnider, in Algeria

She is a Global Health and Gender Based Violence Advocate.