‘Four-tier public health system key to tackle next COVID wave’

IIPH-Hyderabad director calls for revamp of surveillance from primary level to State level

Another wave of COVID-19 pandemic may surface whenever there is an increase in the number of vulnerable people either because they did get infected in the past or are not vaccinated. Yet, it can be effectively countered with a revamp of public health surveillance from primary health to State level to reduce the intensity and ensure adequate care is available at an affordable cost at an accessible location, say public health experts. “Public health involves several inter-connected activities conducted simultaneously, starting from the village to the State Health Directorate. At each level, specific skills are required and the complexity increases as one moves higher,” explains Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH)-Hyderabad director G.V.S. Murthy. For instance, ASHAs or Accredited Social Health Activists are the interface between the public health system and the community, with one for every 1,000 persons. With increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and hypertension and the challenge of infectious diseases like COVID-19, an additional ASHA will be required for every 1,000 people.