Most of the people who migrate from rural areas are forced to live in appalling conditions of poor sanitation and hygiene in slums where they are more prone to infections and disease. Economic constraints force both the husband and the wife to work. This compulsion creates its own problems on the dietary and child rearing practices of migrant families. The unorganised sector sometimes constitutes more than 50 per cent of the urban population.

Recently a panel of the World Health Organisation (WHO) commission on health and environment, and examining urban health issues came up with the following:
In Guatemala, Haiti, and Pakistan infant mortality rates are much higher in poor urban areas than in the wealthier areas.
In Panama. diarrhoeal diseases are much higher in poorer urban areas.
In Philippines, malnutrition and tuberculosis rates are much higher in poorer urban areas.

The WHO studies show that the:
ENVIRONMENT MATTERS...conditions in the physical and social environment are the most important determinants of health status and the health sector alone cannot be responsible for the health status. POOR PAY MORE...for health and environmental services. They lack services as they cannot afford them, yet studies show that poor people do pay relatively more for water than the wealthy and may be paying considerable sums for the private medical services.

Poor people must participate more actively in the provision of the basic environment and health services.The studies indicate that the urban poor currently are shouldering great and sometimes total responsibility for their basic health.