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CM1.6 | CM1.6 | Health Promotion, IEC and BCC — SDL Guide (Part 3)

Applying Health Promotion — National Programmes and the Doctor's Role

IEC and BCC are embedded in virtually every Indian national health programme, reflecting their recognized importance for programme effectiveness. The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) was one of the first large-scale BCC programmes in India, using targeted interventions for high-risk groups (sex workers, intravenous drug users, truck drivers) with tailored messages through peer educators — a model that explicitly applied audience segmentation and formative research. The National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) uses mass media campaigns, health warnings on tobacco packaging, and interpersonal counselling at CHCs to address tobacco use across its stages of change. The Mission Indradhanush immunisation intensification programme combines IEC (information about vaccine-preventable diseases) with community mobilisation (ASHA workers conducting home visits for informed consent) — a multi-method, multi-channel approach.

The doctor's role in health promotion and IEC/BCC operates at multiple levels. In the clinical encounter, every consultation is an opportunity for interpersonal health communication — counselling a patient on medication adherence, dietary change, smoking cessation, or breastfeeding is a personalised IEC intervention. Research consistently shows that a doctor's recommendation is among the most powerful cues to action for health behaviour change (Health Belief Model). In the community, doctors participate in health talks, school health programmes, and village health and nutrition days (VHNDs). At the system level, doctors contribute to designing and evaluating community health programmes, training ASHAs and ANMs, and advocating for health-promoting policies in their catchment area.

The NMC CBME curriculum expects every MBBS graduate to be competent in basic interpersonal health communication skills — active listening, simple messaging, teach-back technique, motivational interviewing principles — as well as familiar with IEC/BCC programme design at the community level. This module is the theoretical foundation; the practicum (clinical postings at PHC and CHC level) is where these skills are applied and assessed.