From keeping Tamil Nadu poliofree for the last 18 years to managing seasonal outbreaks of vector-borne diseases, taking primary healthcare to people to ensuring immunisation of children and tackling newly emerging challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, Tamil Nadu’s Directorate of Public Health (DPH) and Preventive Medicine has come a long way in its journey of 100 years.
In fact, 2022 is a significant year for the DPH. It was a century ago in 1922 that Sanitation and Public Health became a transferred subject under the control of the Minister in charge of the Local Self-Government Department. The title of Sanitary Commissioner of the Madras Presidency was changed to Director of Public Health and the Sanitary Department was called the Public Health Department. Nevertheless, the Sanitary Department had its origin in 1864, according to records available at the State Public Health Library.
An important milestone in the history of the DPH is the passing of the Madras Public Health Act in 1939, now called the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act. Until then, statutory provisions relating to public health administration were vague, unsatisfactory and embodied in more than one Act. The need for a compact public health Act embodying all important public health provisions under the various Acts was realised for efficient administration, according to the records.
