Buildings can be constructed and hospitals can be expanded within months, but building a skilled public health workforce takes years. While healthcare infrastructure can grow with investment, training professionals to detect disease outbreaks early, respond to health emergencies and keep the health system prepared is a much longer process. That challenge is now just as important as expanding hospitals and increasing healthcare spending.
India’s next major health crisis may not be triggered by a new disease but by a critical shortage of public health professionals, according to Dr. M. Vishnu Vardhana Rao, Officiating Vice Chancellor of the PHFI Institute of Public Health Sciences (Deemed to be University). He said that despite the country’s health budget crossing Rs 1.06 lakh crore this year, hospitals and health centres alone cannot deliver better health outcomes without a strong public health workforce.
In his article, “India’s Next Health Crisis: It Is Not a Disease. It Is a Workforce Gap,“ Dr. Vishnu Vardhana Rao says that while the country has strengthened its healthcare infrastructure, it continues to face a serious shortage of trained professionals needed to prevent, manage and respond to public health emergencies.
He pointed out that India currently faces a shortage of nearly 45,000 qualified public health professionals, leaving a critical gap in disease prevention, health planning, data analysis and community outreach. The article also highlights the growing importance of the One Health approach, which recognises the close link between human, animal and environmental health.
Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Rao said India was able to rapidly expand hospitals and critical care facilities, but struggled to mobilise epidemiologists, public health managers, data scientists and community health workers. He noted that while infrastructure can be built quickly, developing a skilled public health workforce requires years of sustained investment and institutional support.
Public health education has not kept pace with the rapid expansion of medical education, limiting the country’s ability to build a strong workforce, Dr. Rao said. The rapid growth of digital health technologies such as electronic health records, telemedicine and wearable devices has also increased the need for public health professionals to prevent disease outbreaks, plan vaccination programmes, strengthen disease surveillance and analyse health data.
Dr. Rao welcomed initiatives such as states exploring dedicated public health cadres and partnerships to strengthen public health education and policy capacity but said lasting progress will require sustained institutional investment in building the country’s public health workforce. He called the pandemic a lasting reminder of the need to build a stronger and more resilient health system.
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