Covering the Last Mile: A Challenge in Health Communication in India?

Abstract

Like any other developing nation, India, has long recognized the need to strengthen its health communication system to improve the country’s health indicators. There has been a paradigm shift in the role assigned to health communication, from awareness creation to evidence based behavior change. Much has been done, but the goal of “health for all” remains elusive. Studies indicate that an overemphasis on media, which has had least impact at grassroots level and has not been able to improve the communication skills of the frontline functionaries. This chapter argues that in the changing media scenario, the Indian health communication system has to create an appropriate human channel of communication (HCC) that could have wider reach, better access and added credibility, especially among the marginalized societies. While reviewing the health system of India, policies on health communication and implementation details at ground level, this chapter will examine bridging health communication gaps and connecting the dots between the government, the functionaries, the media and the target population.