6 | Lessons for Developing Countries
Globally, the approaches to public health have witnessed four periods
with varying emphasis. The first period: ’The disease control phase from
1880 lasted until 1920. The second: ’the health promotion period ran
from 1920 to 1960’. The third, ‘the social engineering phase,’ spanned
from 1960 to 1980s. The fourth period, ’the Health for All phase,’
lasted from 1980 to 2000. It was characterized by the belief that health
was a matter of equality and should be spread equitably regardless of
external conditions. Following that, in 2000, the United Nations
established the Millennium Development Goal (MDG), which included three
health-related targets. In 2015, the United Nations launched the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, with 17 objectives, a third
of which is connected to health. However, the targets of MDGs/SDGs have
not percolated to municipalities in developing countries like India,
which are expected to be the custodians of public health. Table 9
depicts the evolution of public health initiatives in India.