Editing Kiribati (section)

===Health===
{{See also|List of hospitals in Oceania#Kiribati}}
[[File:Prevalence Of Obesity In The Adult Population, Top Countries (2016).svg|thumb|upright=2|Prevalence of obesity in the adult population, top countries (2016), Kiribati has the seventh highest rate in the world.]]
The [[Gilbert Islands]] where 90% of the Kiribati population live, boast some of the highest population densities in the Pacific, rivalling cities like Hong Kong or Singapore without any [[skyscraper]]s or other forms of conventional high-density housing. This overcrowding produces a great amount of pollution, worsening the quality and length of life. Due to insufficient sanitation and water filtration systems, worsened by the fragility of the [[Lens (hydrology)|water lens]] of the atolls and by climate change, only about 66% have access to clean water. Waterborne diseases grow at record levels throughout the islands. Poor sanitation has led to an increase in cases of conjunctivitis, diarrhoea, dysentery, and fungal infections. Kiribati is the country with the third highest prevalence of smoking in the world, with 54–57% of the population reported as smokers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Number of smokers up by 35 million in 30 years, study finds |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Number-of-smokers-up-by-35-million-in-30-years-study-finds/articleshow/28530274.cms |access-date=23 July 2020 |work=The Times of India |date=8 January 2014}}</ref> Due to this and other "[[lifestyle disease]]s", such as [[type 2 diabetes]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/kiribati/kiribati-remote-island-nation-faces-triple-threat-health|title=Kiribati: The remote island nation faces a triple threat to health|website=ReliefWeb|date=16 May 2023}}</ref> there has been a drastic spike in amputations on the islands, doubling in a few years.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

As a consequence, the population of Kiribati has a quite low life expectancy at birth of 68.46 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/KIR/kiribati/life-expectancy|title = Kiribati Life Expectancy 1950-2021}}</ref> Even if this data is of only 66.9 years, provided elsewhere, Kiribati ranks last in life expectancy out of the 20 nations of Oceania. This life expectancy is 64.3 for males, and 69.5 for females and there is an infant mortality rate of 41 deaths per 1,000 live births.<ref name="IMF 2011"/> [[Tuberculosis]] has a small presence in the country, with 365 cases per 100,000 a year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kiribati—TB Country Profile |url=http://apps.who.int/globalatlas/predefinedReports/TB/PDF_Files/kir.pdf |publisher=World Health Organization |access-date=23 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713063006/http://apps.who.int/globalatlas/predefinedReports/TB/PDF_Files/kir.pdf |archive-date=13 July 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Government expenditure on health was at US$268 per capita (PPP) in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_KIR.html |title = Human Development Report 2009 – Kiribati |publisher = Hdrstats.undp.org |access-date = 14 May 2010 }}</ref> In 1990–2007, there were 23 physicians per 100,000 persons.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://earthtrends.wri.org/text/population-health/variable-1297.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110611161258/http://earthtrends.wri.org/text/population-health/variable-1297.html |archive-date = 11 June 2011 |title = Public Health: Physicians per 100,000 people |publisher = Earthtrends.wri.org |access-date = 14 May 2010 }}</ref> Since the arrival of Cuban doctors in 2006, the infant mortality rate has decreased significantly.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/171387/cuban-doctors-reduce-kiribati-infant-mortality-rate-by-80-percent |title = Cuban doctors reduce Kiribati infant mortality rate by 80 percent |last=Meetai |first= Airam |publisher = Rnzi.com |date = 19 July 2007 |access-date = 14 May 2010 }}</ref>

Most health problems are related to consumption of semi-raw seafood, limited food storage facilities, and bacterial contamination of fresh water supplies. In the early 2000s, between 1 and 7% of the population, depending on the island, were annually treated for food poisoning in a hospital. Modernization and cross-cultural exchange of the late 20th century brought new issues of unhealthy diet and lifestyle, heavy smoking, especially among the young, and external infections, including HIV/AIDS.{{sfn|Thomas|2003|pp=8–9}}

Fresh water remains a concern of Kiribati – during the dry season (Aumaiaki), water has been drilled for instead of using rain water tanks. In recent years, there has been a longer than usual Aumaikai season resulting in additional water having to be drilled from beneath the water table. This has introduced water-borne illnesses, compounding the health problems within Kiribati.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fresh water supply |url=http://www.climate.gov.ki/effects/fresh-water-supply/ |website=Climate Change |publisher=Republic of Kiribati |access-date=23 July 2020 |archive-date=30 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930035644/http://www.climate.gov.ki/effects/fresh-water-supply/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative<ref>{{cite web |title=Human Rights Measurement Initiative – The first global initiative to track the human rights performance of countries |url=https://humanrightsmeasurement.org/ |access-date=2022-03-18 |website=humanrightsmeasurement.org}}</ref> finds that Kiribati is fulfilling 77.2% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Kiribati - HRMI Rights Tracker |url=https://rightstracker.org/ |access-date=2022-03-18 |website=rightstracker.org}}</ref> When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Kiribati achieves 93.8% of what is expected based on its current income.<ref name=":0" /> In regards to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves 92.2% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income.<ref name=":0" /> Kiribati falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the government is fulfilling only 45.5% of what the country is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.<ref name=":0" />