Report of the Health Survey and Development Committee: Vol. IV – Summary

The Health Survey and Development Committee was appointed by the Government of India in October 1943 to make a broad survey of the health conditions and services in British India. Its chairman was Joseph William Bhore, an Indian Civil Service officer. In its four-volume report, the Committee recommended the integration of curative and preventive medicine at all levels, the development of primary healthcare centres, and major changes in medical education. Volume I  describes the status of public health in British India in 1941 and the preceding 10 years. Volume II makes recommendations to improve national health and suggests ways to do so. Volume III is a compendium of the reports, correspondence and documents consulted by the Committee, and volume IV summarises volumes I and II. In its report, the Committee emphasised the need for affordable and accessible healthcare for all; the integration of consultations and laboratory/institutional facilities; and a focus on the rural population, which constituted the majority of British India. It said that preventive work could reduce the incidence of disease and suggested that people’s participation be sought while developing national health programmes.