Public Health

Topics

• Health Infrastructure — India's health pyramid: ASHA workers, PHCs, CHCs, district hospitals, AIIMS; rural-urban divide; human resources
• Ayushman Bharat & National Health Mission — PM-JAY health insurance, ABHA digital health IDs, NHM programs, Jan Aushadhi
• Communicable Diseases — TB, malaria, HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, dengue, Japanese encephalitis; eradication programs
• Non-Communicable Diseases — Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, mental health; risk factors and prevention
• Traditional Medicine — Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy (AYUSH); integration with modern medicine
• Medical Ethics & Regulation — MCI/NMC, clinical trials, drug pricing, surrogacy, organ transplantation

Why Public Health Matters

Health is not merely the absence of disease — it is a precondition for economic productivity, educational attainment, and democratic participation. India's health system, despite remarkable achievements (polio eradication, smallpox elimination, rising life expectancy), remains deeply inequitable. Out-of-pocket health expenditure pushes 55 million Indians into poverty every year. Understanding the architecture of health policy, the distribution of health infrastructure, and the determinants of disease is essential for anyone seeking to hold the state accountable for its constitutional obligation to ensure the welfare of its citizens.

This module examines India's health system from the ground up — from the ASHA worker in a Bihar village to the cardiac surgeon in a Chennai super-specialty hospital — and asks: who gets care, who pays for it, and who decides what care means?

Resources