Author:

Atisha Lama
PhD Research Scholar
Department of History
University of Gour Banga
Malda,West Bengal, India

Email: atishalamako@gmail.com

Abstract: This paper traces the evolution of public healthcare systems in Bengal across the colonial and postcolonial periods, highlighting the stark contrast between Calcutta and the Darjeeling hills. In colonial Calcutta, public health operated as an instrument of governance, with British perceptions of disease and urban order shaping policy interventions. This resulted in the establishment of segregated hospitals and regulations that institutionalized racial hierarchies in medical access. In plantation regions, health initiatives were severely uneven, with resources concentrated on European troops and residents. Sanatoria such as Eden and Lowis Jubilee served as spaces of medicalized leisure for colonizers, while Indian populations received minimal and inadequate provisions. Rural communities continued to rely on culturally embedded traditional healing systems, including herbalists (Vaidyas, Amchis) and spiritual healers (dhami-jhankri, phedangbas), which remained central to their health practices. After independence, the state attempted to integrate these indigenous systems through the AYUSH initiative to strengthen public health. However, in under-resourced areas such as the tea plantations, AYUSH often functions as an insufficient substitute for absent primary healthcare infrastructure rather than as a complementary system. This historical perspective reveals the enduring inequalities in healthcare, shaped by the complex interplay of colonial legacies, traditional knowledge, and postcolonial policy shortcomings.

Key Words: Bengal, British, Colonial, Deconstruction, Municipal, Public Health etc.