Challenges in Public Health Education and Governance in India

May 9, 2025

World Health Day 2025, themed ‘Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Future’, underscores the glaring challenges in public health preparedness and education in India. Contrary to popular belief, public health transcends traditional medical domains, integrating various sciences and social aspects. The decentralization of public health responsibilities in India, rooted in colonial legacies, leads to disjointed governance and limited accountability. The Master of Public Health (MPH) programmes suffer from a lack of national standardization, with diverse eligibility criteria and disparate curricula across institutions. Critical aspects like public health engineering and behavioural sciences are often neglected, impacting the efficacy of public health interventions. The article advocates for a comprehensive overhaul of public health education in India to nurture a skilled workforce capable of addressing complex health challenges proactively.

Tags: Public health, India, Mph, Education, Health governance,