Indian Public Health Association

Indian Public Health Association shortly IPHA is a professional health organization working for the cause of Public Health in India since 1956. It is registered under Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860.

The mission is to protect and promote the health of the people of India by facilitating the exchange of information, experience, and research, and advocating for policies, programs and practices that improve public health.

The Idea of establishing an association of Public Health was first mooted out at the All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Calcutta, in 1935. The permission of Government was necessary to create such an association. Most of the health staff then was working under government or municipalities. Hence permission was denied until the Indian Independence. After 1948, Dr. Ganguly and Dr. S. C. Seal revived the movement. The Association was inaugurated on 29 September 1956 by Smt. Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, the then Union Health Minister, Government of India. The Public Health personalities responsible for the success of the association were Dr. B. C. Roy, Chief Minister of West Bengal, Lt. Col. C. K. Lakshmanan, Director of All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Dr. K. C. K. E. Raja, Director General of Health Services, Government of India, Dr. B. C. Dasgupta, Director of Health Services, West Bengal and Dr. T. Lakshminarayanan of Madras. The association has grown over the years and now has a strength of nearly 4,000 members. The body has 22 branches in India. In Chandigarh, IPHA has celebrated World's AIDS day 2014 in Tagore Theatre, where they have invited Snehil Sharma's dance group Adi Shakti Nrityashala and other theater groups for the cultural show.