| Few health services offering comprehensive care ex isted in rural India prior to World War II. However, the rural hygiene conferences organized in the 1930s by the League of Nations did generate isolated attempts at introducing medical care. The conference comprehensive health survey as a basis for health services planning and local health centres as a means for promoting health and welfare in rural areas. These two ideas were later incorporated into the comprehensive national plan that emerged after India achieved independence. A network of health centres, subcentres, and district hospitals has now been established in each rural development block and has achieved considerable success, especially in the control of communicable diseases and in family planning -stabilization of the population is a major objective. Statistical data on life expectancy and birth and death rates confirm the effectiveness of the health programme, but even greater efforts should be applied in two particular fields: sanitation and health education. |