Hundred years of tackling diseases

The Directorate of Public Health has kept Tamil Nadu polio-free for the last 18 years and taken primary healthcare to people 

From keeping Tamil Nadu poliofree for the last 18 years to managing seasonal outbreaks of vector-borne diseases, taking primary healthcare to people to ensuring immunisation of children and tackling newly emerging challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, Tamil Nadu’s Directorate of Public Health (DPH) and Preventive Medicine has come a long way in its journey of 100 years.

In fact, 2022 is a significant year for the DPH. It was a century ago in 1922 that Sanitation and Public Health became a transferred subject under the control of the Minister in charge of the Local Self-Government Department. The title of Sanitary Commissioner of the Madras Presidency was changed to Director of Public Health and the Sanitary Department was called the Public Health Department. Nevertheless, the Sanitary Department had its origin in 1864, according to records available at the State Public Health Library.

An important milestone in the history of the DPH is the passing of the Madras Public Health Act in 1939, now called the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act. Until then, statutory provisions relating to public health administration were vague, unsatisfactory and embodied in more than one Act. The need for a compact public health Act embodying all important public health provisions under the various Acts was realised for efficient administration, according to the records.

Post-independence, 450 combined medical and public health primary centres and 25 group centres were sanctioned for the first quinquennium commencing in 1948. Of them, 6 primary health centres each were opened in 1948 in the then composite districts of North Arcot and Coimbatore.

Today, the DPH provides primary healthcare services through 1,804 Primary Health Centres. The State’s 8,713 Health Sub Centres serve as the first point of service delivery.

With disease surveillance, prevention and control being at the centre of the DPH, it now encompasses a long list of services and schemes starting with running of primary health centres, immunisation, maternal and child health, vector-borne disease control, universal health coverage and epidemics. The Director of Public Health is also the Chief Registrar of Births and Deaths of the State.

“Disease prevention and control is the objective of the department. We see the health of human beings determined not only by disease-causing bacteria or viruses but the result of interaction with social, cultural and economic influences over health. Non-communicable diseases like stress, depression, hypertension and diabetes are some of the examples. Disease prevention, early diagnosis and treatment is not only cost- effective but also makes suffering less for the people,” says Director of Public Health T. S. Selvavinayagam.