The district health society exists as an intermediate management body between state/regional levels and rural health systems. It was created to bring various health programs under unified control. Every district has an integrated District Health Society that merges all existing vertical program societies. The DHS is responsible for planning and managing all health and family welfare programs in both rural and urban areas of the district. Key functions of the DHS include inter-sectoral convergence and acting as a platform for district administrations to decide on health issues while adding to their planning, budgeting, and financial management capacities.

1. Organisation and Functions
of District Level Bodies
Bachelor of Public health
Classroom Lecture
Dr Tanveer Rehman
Dr Yogesh Arora 1

2. Introduction
• A district health society exists as a middle management body
between the state and regional level and the rural health system.
• It was made to bring various health programs under unified
control.
• The information received on higher levels is transmitted to the
peripheral health set-up after amendment to suit the local
requirement.
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3. National Rural Health Mission
• Every district has a District Health Mission headed by the
Chairperson, Zila Parishad. It has the District Collector as the
Co-Chair and Chief Medical Officer as the Mission Director.
• Every district has an integrated District Health Society (DHS)
and all the existing societies as vertical support structures for
different national and state health programmes will be merged
in the DHS.
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4. Institutional Setup at the District level
• The DHS - responsible for planning and managing all health
and family welfare programmes in the district, both in the
rural as well as urban areas.
• DHSs planning takes note of both treasury and non-treasury
sources of funds
• DHS: Geographical jurisdiction greater than Zilla Parishad
and /or Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the district 4

5. Governance Structure of the DHS
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6. 6
District
Health
Society
• District level authorities act
as managers and sorts out
issues regarding planning,
logistics, implementation,
monitoring as well as
general administrative issues
for provision of healthcare
services to the district.

7. DHS functions
• Inter-sectoral convergence
• Not meant to take over the executive functions of the ZP /
ULBs and/or the district health administration - provide them
platform to decide on health issues of the district
• An addition to the district administrations capacity, particularly
for planning, budgeting and budget analysis, development of
operational policy proposals, and financial management etc 7

8. Governance structure
Zilla parishad
(District)
Blocks
Village
Village
assembly
Municipal
corporations
Municipalities
Town
councils
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9. Administration
• The district is the principal unit of administration with
Collector (IAS) (also known as District Magistrate) as the
administrative head.
• He/she is assisted by Assistant Collector in-charge of a
section of a district and DDO (District Development
Officer).
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10. Levels of Administration
• For convenience the districts are divided into the following six
areas: -
1. Subdivisions: -Comprising of two or more divisions of the
district and headed by an assistant collector.
2. Tehsils (Talukas): - Comprising of 200-600 villages and
headed by a Tehsildar.
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11. Levels of Administration-cont…
3. Community development blocks: -Comprising of around 100
villages and headed by BDO (block development officer). Blocks
are units of rural planning.
4. Municipalities and corporations: For urban areas of the district.
5. Villages.
6. Panchayats: For rural local self-governance.
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12. Organisation in Health Care
• The officer in-charge of all the health and family welfare activities in the district is
called Chief District Health Officer (CDHO) or Chief Medical officer (CMO) or
District Medical and Health Officer (DM & HO).
• The CMO is assisted by Deputy CMO or Additional/Assistant District Health
Officer.
• CMO is assisted by various program officer as:-
1. District TB officer
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13. Organisation in Health Care cont…
2. District Malaria Officer.
3. Epidemic Medical Officer.
4. Reproductive and Child Health
Officer.
5. Quality Medical Officer. Etc.
• The number and specialization of
these officers varies across different
states of the country.
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14. Thank You
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