Public health infrastructure in rural India: challenges and opportunities.

The mission of public health is to fulfill societys interest in assuring conditions in which persons can be healthy. Over the years the scope of public health services has increased tremendously and will continue to expand further taking in to considerations the demographic and epidemiological transitions the country is passing through. The public health services are expected to deliver the following essential services: 1) monitor health status to identify community health problems; 2) diagnose and investigate health problems health hazards and public health emergencies in the community and take appropriate promotive preventive and control measures; 3) inform educate and empower people about health issues; 4) mobilize community partnerships to identify and solve health problems; 5) develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts; 6) enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety; 7) link people to needed personal health services and ensure the provision of health care ; 8) ensure the availability of a competent public health and personal health care workforce; 9) evaluate effectiveness accessibility and quality of personal and population-based health services; and 10) research new insights and innovative solutions to health problems. Provision of such services including disease surveillance require a country wide functional and effective Public Health Infrastructure. Whatever the government may plan its successful implementation depends largely on the functional efficiency of the public health infrastructure. (excerpt)