Question

Write a brief review of the significant events in the field of public health in India.

Answer 1

The Constitution of India puts forward the primary duty of the state i.e. to raise the people’s standard of living, ensure proper nutrition and improve public health.

1. Efforts, with the help of the sixth five-year plan, were made towards helping people maintain good health by giving recognition to Unani, Homoeopathy, Ayurveda and Naturopathy in addition to Allopathy.
2. Progress in the medical field and technology also helped in the successful completion of the open-heart surgery performed under the leadership of Dr N. Gopinath at the Christian Medical College hospital in Vellore.
3. Due to the discovery of 'Jaipur Foot' by Dr. Pramod Sethi, artificial limbs started being made for the disabled.
4. Dr Johny and Dr Mohan Rao transplanted the kidney donated by a living person into the patient’s body.
5. The support of the ‘test-tube baby technology’ since 1978 has immensely helped childless couples across the country. It was under the supervision of Dr Subhash Mukhopadhyaya that the experiment of the test-tube baby was successfully carried out at Kolkata.
6. The immunization programme to overcome the threat of diseases such as polio, measles, tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough etc. was started in 1995 to protect infants from fatal health problems.