Public Health is a fundamental concept and a system of organized activities that aims to prevent disease, prolong life, and promote the overall health and efficiency of a population. In the Indian constitutional framework, the subject of "Public health and sanitation; hospitals and dispensaries" is listed as Entry 6 on the State List of the Seventh Schedule. This division of power grants the primary legislative authority over public health to the State Governments.
The origin of modern public health in India can be traced to the colonial era, where the British established systems for sanitation and disease control, though initially focused on their own citizens. A major post-independence milestone was the 1946 Bhore Committee Report, which recommended a comprehensive, government-financed healthcare system. This was followed by the first National Health Policy (NHP) in 1983, which aimed for a system with primary-care facilities.
The mechanism of public health is rooted in the Constitution, where Article 47 of the Directive Principles of State Policy imposes a duty on the State to improve public health and raise the level of nutrition and standard of living. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has interpreted the right to health as integral to the fundamental Right to Life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. For instance, in State of Punjab & Ors v Mohinder Singh Chawla, the apex court reaffirmed the government's constitutional obligation to provide health services.
The concept connects directly to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and major national schemes like Ayushman Bharat, which was launched in 2018. This scheme includes the Ayushman Bharat- Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), the world's largest health assurance program, and the Ayushman Bharat- Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWC).
Recently, the framework has seen significant changes, notably the expansion of AB PM-JAY approved on September 11, 2024, to cover all senior citizens aged 70 and above, irrespective of their income. Additionally, the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) was launched for the period 2021–2026 with an outlay of ₹64,180 crore to strengthen health infrastructure and disease surveillance. While the constitutional position of public health on the State List remains the same, there is an ongoing policy debate about shifting it to the Concurrent List to enable greater Central government legislative power.