A sense of uneasiness often pervades the thoughts on issues of health and urbanization in many developing countries bordering the Asia-Pacific region (these countries are termed Third-World Countries). Despite more than 40 years of concerted efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO) in disease identification, control, and eradication, and the countries' national development strategies, massive poverty caused by rapidly growing population, food shortages, malnutrition, large external national debts, and in some cases political turmoil, have persisted. All these have generated feelings that the health status of the people in these Third-World Countries has not improved over the years. Indeed, there is a wealth of literature to forewarn about the effects of rapid urbanization, yet optimism prevails that economic development through industrialization and broadening of the employment and infrastructural base will lead to improvements in the health status of the population. Thus writers such as MACLEAN (1966), CHIA and MACANDERSON (1979), and BLAU (1986) had attributed the individual's health to be directly related to his socio-economic status, which in turn was highly dependent on economic development and political stability of the country. It was HELLER (1976) who suggested that the quality of the individual's health was derived from a much more fundamental demand for good health. According to him, the quality of the external environment is important for it determines the prevalence of pathogenic agents which expose the person to the levels of risks of illness. However, given the greater consumption of clothing, shelter, nutrients, and amenities such as water, partial insulation against the risks to diseases is possible and can occur since these tend to strengthen the body's ability to resist infection. In the context of the Third-World Countries, given the wide range of socio-economic, political, cultural, and environmental problems encountered, is it possible to insulate against risks to diseases? This paper will examine this issue in Peninsular Malaysia, focusing on the squatters residing in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. It will review several case studies carried out in the course of the research on accessibility to governmental health facilities. The aim is to elucidate information on whether the health status of an economically low-income group in the capital city is much lower than its counterparts and whether specific health policies and strategies are necessary to assist them.