Public Health, AYUSH & National Health Programmes — Practice

Question 1

Name the six practices of Shatkarma.

Accepted Answer

Neti (nasal cleansing), dhauti (digestive tract cleansing), nauli (abdominal massage), basti (colon cleansing), kapalabhati (skull-shining breath) and trataka (steady gazing).

Question 2

Name the causative organism of leprosy and the therapy used against it.

Accepted Answer

Leprosy is caused by Mycobacterium leprae and is treated with multi-drug therapy combining dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine.

Question 3

What is the leading cause of blindness that the National Programme for Control of Blindness targets?

Accepted Answer

Cataract, which is the leading cause of blindness in India and the focus of surgical camps and services under the programme.

Question 4

Describe the basic principles of Ayurveda and Unani.

Accepted Answer

Ayurveda holds that health is a balance of the three doshas (vata, pitta and kapha), influenced by the five elements, body constitution (prakriti), diet and routine, with classical texts by Charaka, Sushruta and Vagbhata. Unani, of Greek-Arabic-Persian origin, holds that health depends on the balance of four humours (blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile) and temperament (mizaj), drawing on Hippocrates and Ibn Sina.

Question 5

What is the biological clock and where is it located in humans?

Accepted Answer

The biological clock is the internal circadian rhythm of about 24 hours regulating sleep, hormones, temperature and metabolism. In mammals the master clock is the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus, synchronised by light, while the pineal gland releases melatonin at night. The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recognised the discovery of the genes that control it.

Question 6

Describe the three-tier primary health care structure in India.

Accepted Answer

The system has sub-centres serving about 5,000 people in the plains (3,000 in hilly and tribal areas), Primary Health Centres serving about 30,000 (20,000), and Community Health Centres serving about 1,20,000 (80,000). ANMs staff sub-centres, ASHAs link households to services and doctors work at PHCs and CHCs. Under Ayushman Bharat, sub-centres and PHCs are being upgraded to Health and Wellness Centres, renamed Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

Question 7

Explain the objectives and phases of the National AIDS Control Programme.

Accepted Answer

NACP is implemented through the National AIDS Control Organisation, set up in 1992, in successive phases; the current Phase V runs from 2021 to 2026. It works through targeted interventions for high-risk groups, testing and counselling, antiretroviral treatment and prevention of parent-to-child transmission. Its aim is to end AIDS as a public-health threat by 2030, and the HIV/AIDS Act, 2017 protects patients against discrimination.

Question 8

Discuss the Universal Immunisation Programme and Mission Indradhanush and the challenges that remain. (~200 words)

Accepted Answer

The Universal Immunisation Programme, started in 1985 from the earlier Expanded Programme on Immunisation, offers vaccines against several preventable diseases free to children and pregnant women. Mission Indradhanush, launched in 2014, targets children and mothers missed by routine immunisation in low-coverage districts, including hard-to-reach and urban slum areas, and has been extended in intensified rounds. India was certified polio-free in 2014, a landmark of these efforts. Challenges include uneven coverage across regions, vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, cold-chain gaps, migration that breaks vaccination records, and the introduction of newer vaccines. Digital tracking of records and community mobilisation through ASHAs and Anganwadi workers are central to closing the remaining gaps.

Question 9

"Insurance alone cannot fix India's health system; primary care must come first." Discuss with reference to Ayushman Bharat. (~200 words)

Accepted Answer

Ayushman Bharat pairs PM-JAY, which provides cashless hospital cover of 5 lakh rupees per family per year, with Health and Wellness Centres for primary care. Insurance protects against catastrophic hospital costs, but does little for conditions that could have been prevented or treated early. Primary care reduces disease burden, keeps people out of hospital and is cheaper per person. Weaknesses in the system explain the argument: sub-centres and PHCs face staff and equipment gaps, empanelment of hospitals is uneven in remote and tribal areas, and insurance claims can be delayed or misused. The 2024 extension to senior citizens aged 70 and above widens demand for hospital care. A balanced approach invests in the Health and Wellness Centres, workforce, diagnostics and referral links so that insurance covers what primary care cannot.

Practice — Public Health, AYUSH & National Health Programmes

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