• The Government of India in 1943 appointed the Health Survey and Development Committee under Sir Joseph Bhore to assess the health condition of India
• The committee consisted of pioneers in the healthcare field who met frequently for 2 years and submitted their report in 1946
• The report which is 4 volumes long laid out the proposal for a national program of health services in India
• It also stressed the importance of preventive care in addition to curative treatment

The important recommendations of the Bhore committee are:

• Integration of preventive and curative services in all levels of administration
• It laid out a plan for strengthening primary healthcare
  • Short term program
    • Primary health center in rural areas catering to 40,000 population.
    • Staff pattern for the PHC was proposed as follows – 2 medical officers, 1 nurse, 4 public health nurse, 4 midwives, 4 trained dais, 2 sanitary inspectors, 2 health assistants, 1 pharmacist, 15 other class IV employees
  • Long term program (also called 3 million plan)
    • One 75 bedded PHC for catering to 10-20 thousand population
    • Secondary health center with 650 beds
    • District hospitals with 2500 beds
• Major changes in medical education – introduction of 3 months of Social and Preventive Medicine into the medical curriculum

1. Mudaliar committee, 1962
2. Minimum Needs Programme (MNP) – Components, Principles, Objectives
3. Health Sector Planning
4. Sub-centre level healthcare in India