Pandemic Preparedness and Public Health in India: UPSC GS-2 & GS-3 Notes
Pandemic preparedness and public health in India explained with structure, COVID-19 lessons, challenges and way forward.
Pandemic Preparedness and Public Health in India
Introduction
Pandemics are large-scale disease outbreaks that transcend national boundaries and overwhelm health systems, economies, and governance structures. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed both strengths and gaps in India’s public health system. For a populous and diverse country like India, pandemic preparedness is not only a health issue but also a matter of national security, economic stability, and social justice.
I. UNDERSTANDING PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS
1. Meaning
Pandemic preparedness refers to the capacity of a country to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from infectious disease outbreaks through:
- Strong public health systems
- Surveillance and early warning
- Health infrastructure and workforce
- Governance, coordination, and communication
It follows the cycle of Prevention → Preparedness → Response → Recovery.
II. PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM IN INDIA: STRUCTURE
1. Constitutional & Administrative Framework
- Public health is a State subject (State List, 7th Schedule)
- Centre plays a coordinating and supporting role through:
- Policy formulation
- Funding
- National disease surveillance
- Cooperative federalism is essential during pandemics.
2. Healthcare Delivery Structure
- Primary care: Sub-centres, Primary Health Centres (PHCs)
- Secondary care: Community Health Centres (CHCs), district hospitals
- Tertiary care: Medical colleges, AIIMS
Pandemic preparedness depends heavily on strong primary healthcare, which acts as the first line of detection and response.
III. INDIA’S EXPERIENCE DURING COVID-19 (LEARNING CONTEXT)
1. Strengths Displayed
- Rapid scaling of testing and laboratory capacity
- World’s largest vaccination drive
- Digital tools:
- CoWIN platform
- Aarogya Setu
- Indigenous vaccine development and production
- Pharmaceutical and medical supply resilience
2. Weaknesses Exposed
- Overburdened hospitals during peak waves
- Shortage of oxygen, ICU beds, and health workers
- Urban–rural and inter-state disparities
- Limited public health expenditure (~2% of GDP)
- Weak disease surveillance at local levels
- Poor risk communication and misinformation challenges
📌 UPSC Insight: COVID-19 converted public health into a core governance and disaster-management issue.
IV. KEY COMPONENTS OF PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS IN INDIA
1. Disease Surveillance & Early Warning
- Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) monitors outbreaks
- Need for:
- Real-time data
- Genomic surveillance
- AI-based outbreak prediction
Weak surveillance delays response and increases mortality.
2. Health Infrastructure & Workforce
- Adequate hospitals, labs, oxygen supply
- Trained doctors, nurses, ASHA and ANM workers
- Surge capacity during emergencies
India faces:
- Low doctor–population ratio
- Urban concentration of health facilities
3. Public Health Financing
- Increased investment in:
- Preventive healthcare
- Research & development
- Emergency preparedness
Low spending limits system resilience during crises.
4. Governance & Coordination
- Inter-ministerial coordination (health, home, transport, IT)
- Centre–State collaboration
- Legal preparedness (epidemic laws, emergency powers)
Fragmented governance reduces effectiveness.
5. Community Participation & Communication
- Public trust and compliance
- Behaviour change (masking, vaccination)
- Combating misinformation
Pandemics are social crises as much as medical crises.
V. MAJOR GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES
1. National Health Mission (NHM)
- Strengthens primary healthcare
- Focus on maternal, child health and disease control
2. Ayushman Bharat
- Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs): preventive & promotive care
- PM-JAY: financial protection for secondary and tertiary care
3. National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)
- Disease surveillance, outbreak response
- Capacity building and training
4. National Digital Health Mission (ABDM)
- Digital health IDs
- Interoperable health data
- Supports real-time response during pandemics
5. Emergency & Disaster Frameworks
- Pandemics treated as biological disasters
- Integrated with disaster management machinery
VI. GLOBAL & MULTILATERAL DIMENSION
- Cooperation with World Health Organization
- Participation in global surveillance and information sharing
- Vaccine diplomacy and supply chains
- Support for a pandemic treaty and equitable access to medicines
📌 UPSC Angle: Health security is a global public good.
VII. CHALLENGES IN INDIA’S PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS
- Underfunded public health system
- Urban bias in health infrastructure
- Fragmented disease surveillance
- Human resource shortages
- Weak research–policy linkages
- Inequalities affecting migrants, elderly, and poor
VIII. WAY FORWARD – Pandemic Preparedness and Public Health in India
- Increase public health spending to 2.5–3% of GDP
- Strengthen primary healthcare & HWCs
- Integrate One Health approach (human–animal–environment)
- Expand genomic and digital surveillance
- Build surge capacity (oxygen, ICU, logistics)
- Invest in health workforce training
- Improve Centre–State coordination
- Institutionalise transparent risk communication
- Strengthen R&D and indigenous manufacturing
Conclusion
Pandemic preparedness is no longer a reactive health measure but a core element of national resilience. For India, strengthening public health systems, investing in prevention, and ensuring equitable access to care are essential to safeguard lives, livelihoods, and long-term development. A resilient health system is the foundation of a resilient nation.
