Report of the Expert Committee on Public Health System

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, government of India, constituted the Expert Committee on Public Health System on March 8, 1995. Its chair, Professor J. S. Bajaj, was a member of the Planning Commission at the time.The committee was set up to review the public health system in India, and to especially focus on the quality of epidemic surveillance and control strategies; the effectiveness of health schemes, institutional arrangements and the role of state and local authorities in improving the public health system; the status of primary health centres and sub-centres in rural areas (especially their ability to respond to outbreaks of disease, and the effectiveness of the district administration in taking timely remedial action); and the capability of the existing Health Management Information System to provide intelligence for surveillance, prevention and remedial action.The report defines ‘public health’ as “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health and efficiency through organized community efforts.” The eight chapters of this report cover the status of the public health system in India, epidemiological surveillance systems, the status of control strategies for epidemic diseases, existing health schemes, the National Family Welfare Programme, environmental health and sanitation, the role of state and local authorities in providing remedial measures for epidemics, and the Health Management Information System. The report includes recommendations and an ‘Action Plan for Strengthening of Public Health System’.