Keshav Desiraju

IAS
Desiraju delivering the inaugural P. Padmanabhan memorial award, 2015
Born(1955-05-11)11 May 1955
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Died5 September 2021(2021-09-05) (aged 66)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
OccupationBureaucrat
Known forPublic health, mental health, disability, primary and community healthcare

Keshav Desiraju (11 May 1955 – 5 September 2021) was an Indian bureaucrat who served as the union health secretary of the country. He was known for his contributions to mental health and community healthcare and was the architect of the country's Mental Healthcare Act of 2017.

Early life

Desiraju was born on 11 May 1955 and grew up in South Bombay, where he attended the Cathedral and John Connon School. He was the grandson of former Indian President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and the nephew of Indian historian Sarvepalli Gopal.[1][2]

He completed his Master's degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge and also had a Master of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He was a member of the Indian Administrative Service belonging to the 1978 Uttarakhand cadre.[3]

Career

Desiraju was a member of the Indian Administrative Service and served as the union secretary with the Ministry of Health. He had earlier served as the health secretary for the state of Uttarakhand. As a bureaucrat, Desiraju focused on public health, primary health care, disability, mental health, and community health.[4] During his term as the additional secretary with the Ministry of Health, he initiated the ban on gutka and chewable forms of tobacco, an act that was later adopted and replicated by many states.[5]

He also advanced the Mental Healthcare Bill, 2012, that later went on to become the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. The bill was considered path-breaking and introduced provisions that allowed for a person to call out the nature of treatment that one should be provided if they were to develop a mental illness later in their lives.[5][6][7] An editorial in the British Journal of Psychiatry read "The drafters of India's new legislation have demonstrated wisdom and vision in articulating a legally binding right to such care despite the inevitable challenges and complexities of such a bold move. The rest of the world should watch, listen and learn."[1][8] His approach was described as a pragmatic middle of the ground approach trying to draw a fine balance protecting patients from potentially exploitative care providers and also family members while guaranteeing "right to health" in emergencies.[9] He also led actions from India on getting the World Health Organization to pass a special resolution on mental health and led to the development of the organization's Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan in 2013.[1]

During his service with the health ministry, he also advanced efforts that resulted in the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences being designated as an institute of national importance.[10] He also led the establishment of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), an expert group that examined linkages between vaccination and immunization and determined the vaccines to be included in the national health program for administration across India. He was also noted to have strengthened the governance systems in the National Health Mission.[11] His stint with the health ministry, however, was cut short in February 2014 when he was moved away from the health ministry and over to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.[12] The move was believed to be due to his dissent with the leadership at the Medical Council of India.[13] He continued to maintain his focus on the healthcare space addressing topics of mental health and corruption in the healthcare space even after moving away from the ministry.[5][14] He also co-wrote a book, Healers or Predators,[15] which focused on corruption in the healthcare industry in India.[5][16] As a bureaucrat he was widely recognized for his "impeccable honesty and integrity".[13]

After his retirement from the administrative services, he was appointed the chairperson of the governing board of the Population Foundation of India, a non-profit organization focused on community health and population strategies for the country.[17] He was on the board of directors of many organizations, including The Banyan, Latika Roy Foundation, Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy in Washington D.C., and the Auroville foundation.[4][18]

Desiraju was a follower of Carnatic music and wrote a biography, considered definitive, of Indian Carnatic music singer M. S. Subbulakshmi, titled Of Gifted Voice.[17] At the time of his death, he was working on a book on Carnatic music composer Thyagaraja and mastering Telugu for the project.[19]

Personal life

Desiraju was not married.[1] He followed Carnatic music and generally used to attend the annual Madras Music Season. As an art collector, he collected the works of Raja Ravi Varma.[1] Desiraju died from acute coronary syndrome on 5 September 2021, in Chennai, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He was 66.[4]

Published works

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Pathare, Soumitra (6 September 2021). "Keshav Desiraju (1955-2021) was much more than a bureaucrat and gentleman". National Herald. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  2. ↑ Guha, Ramachandra (2001). An Anthropologist Among the Marxists and Other Essays. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-81-7824-001-5. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  3. ↑ "Former Union health secy Keshav Desiraju, grandson of S Radhakrishnan, passes away". The Indian Express. 5 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "Keshav Desiraju, former Union Health Secretary, passes away". The Hindu. 5 September 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Ghosh, Abantika (6 September 2021). "Erudite, articulate, soft-spoken -- bureaucrat Keshav Desiraju was not afraid to speak his mind". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  6. ↑ Sachan, Dinsa (27 July 2013). "Mental health bill set to revolutionise care in India". The Lancet. 382 (9889): 296. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61620-7. ISSN 0140-6736. PMID 23901410. S2CID 5568192.
  7. ↑ Sharma, Pranav J. (24 June 2017). "Too soon to celebrate Mental Healthcare Act". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  8. ↑ Duffy, Richard M.; Kelly, Brendan D. (1 February 2019). "The right to mental healthcare: India moves forward". The British Journal of Psychiatry. 214 (2): 59–60. doi:10.1192/bjp.2018.250. ISSN 0007-1250. PMID 30681053.
  9. ↑ The Caravan: June 2017. Delhi Press. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  10. ↑ "Keshav Desiraju (1955-2021): 'New Mental Health Act was his baby… country's psychiatrists owe a lot to him'". The Indian Express. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  11. ↑ "Desiraju's initiative in developing mental health policy stands out". The Times of India. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  12. ↑ "Union health secretary: Desiraju ousted for making goof or showing bias?". The Times of India. 2 March 2014. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  13. 1 2 Dey, Sushmi (24 February 2014). "Corporate stalwarts show resentment over Desiraju's transfer". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  14. ↑ "INX Media case: 71 retired bureaucrats write to PM Modi, express concern over prosecution of four officials". Free Press Journal. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  15. ↑ Nundy, Samiran; Desiraju, Keshav; Nagral, Sanjay (29 June 2018). Healers or Predators?: Healthcare Corruption in India. ASIN 0199489548.
  16. ↑ "Keshav Desiraju (1955-2021): 'New Mental Health Act was his baby… country's psychiatrists owe a lot to him'". The Indian Express. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  17. 1 2 "Obituary | Keshav Desiraju was known for his keen engagement with public health and clean governance". The Hindu. 5 September 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  18. ↑ "Board of Directors of Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy". CDDEP. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  19. ↑ "In the passing of Keshav Desiraju, India has lost a public health icon". The Financial Express. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
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