Govt plans to set up first-of-its-kind National Public Health Museum

New Delhi: The government is in the process of establishing a first-of-its-kind National Public Health Museum to showcase models, specimens and studies related to public health.

With the country regularly facing health exigencies, the plan is to educate children, students and people on health-related issues.

While India has national museums on Railways, metro, science and art, the health sector has no such apex and advanced-level public museum of the type seen in western countries.

Notably, it was the covid-19 pandemic that made the government realize the importance of public health, and the museum will provide information related to the history and origin of diseases to discoveries and invention of cures. In addition to this, the museum will also have a section for disaster management, environment, sanitation and water.

“The idea is to preserve the past of public health for future generations. To spread awareness and sensitize public, school and college students, bureaucrats, people’s representatives and doctors, public health specialists from various cadres on public health, national health programs or policies, their progress, achievements and future path using modern museology principles,” said an official requesting anonymity.

The health ministry held the first round of meetings last week to discuss the matter and proposed the health minister for consideration. The health ministry is likely to collaborate with the ministry of culture to take the initiative forward as museums are maintained and organized by ministry of culture.

“All major health programs to be displayed through specimens, models, pamphlets, flipcharts, audio-visuals aids etc. Although, National Institute of Health & Family Welfare in Delhi and National Institute of Public Health Training and Research Mumbai have a smaller version of the public health museums, the one which has been proposed is a bigger version to be developed in Kolkata. As of now, no museum exists in India or aboard to showcase all aspects of public health including national programmes,” said the official.

Queries emailed to the health ministry spokesperson went unanswered.

The only dedicated public health museum in India is at the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune under the public health department. But it is restricted for the public and not under the ambit of the health ministry. “Visual dissemination of information is a powerful and yet effective method and museology is a very interesting way to make our people knowledgable,” said the official mentioned above.