Bhore Committee (1946)

The concept of UHC for India was anticipated way back in 1946 by the landmark Bhore Committee Report which envisaged a country where “no individual would fail to secure adequate care because of inability to pay.”

This committee, known as the Health Survey & Development Committee, was appointed in 1943 with Sir Joseph Bhore as its Chairman. It laid emphasis on integration of curative and preventive medicine at all levels. It made comprehensive recommendations for remodeling of health services in India. The report, submitted in 1946.

Important Recommendations

1. Integration of preventive and curative services of all administrative levels.
2. Development of Primary Health Centres in 2 stages :
   1. Short-term measure – one primary health centre as suggested for a population of 40,000. Each PHC was to be manned by 2 doctors, one nurse, four public healthnurses, four midwives, four trained dais, two sanitary inspectors, two health assistants, one pharmacist and fifteen other class IV employees. Secondary health centrewas also envisaged to provide support to PHC, and to coordinate and supervise their functioning.
   2. A long-term programme (also called the 3 million plan) of setting up primary health units with 75 – bedded hospitals for each 10,000 to 20,000 population and secondary units with 650 – bedded hospital, again regionalized around district hospitals with 2500 beds.
3. Major changes in medical education which includes 3 - month training in preventive and social medicine to prepare “social physicians”.

Nevertheless, more than seven decades later, catastrophic health expenditure incurred during health shocks pushes millions of economically disadvantaged Indian populations into impoverishment each year creating a vicious cycle of poverty and ill health.