Keshav Desiraju

Keshav Desiraju (11 May 19555 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.

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.

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. 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.

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. 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.” 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. 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.

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. 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. 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. The move was believed to be due to his dissent with the leadership at the Medical Council of India. 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. He also co-wrote a book, ''Healers or Predators'', which focused on corruption in the healthcare industry in India. As a bureaucrat he was widely recognized for his "impeccable honesty and integrity".

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. He was on the board of directors of many organizations including The Banyan
Latika Roy Foundation
Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy in Washington DC and the Auroville foundation.

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''. At the time of his death, he was working on a book on Carnatic music composer Thyagaraja and mastering Telugu for the project.

File:The Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Shri Keshav Desiraju addressing the inaugural session of the National NCD Summit, in New Delhi on June 07, 2013.jpg, Desiraju addressing the inaugural National NCD Summit, New Delhi, 2013
File:The Special Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Keshav Desiraju addressing the meeting of the release of report of National Initiative for Allied Health Sciences (NIAHS).jpg, Desiraju on the release of the National Initiative for Allied Health Sciences (NIAHS) report, New Delhi, 2012
File:The Secretary, Health & Family Welfare, Shri Keshav Desiraju addressing the India-UK Health Policy Forum - Bilateral Workshop, in New Delhi on February 21, 2013.jpg, Desiraju addressing the India-UK Health Policy Forum, New Delhi, 2013
File:The Addl. Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Keshav Desiraju addressing at the launch of the media campaign of National Tobacco Control Programme, in New Delhi. The WHO Representative.jpg, Desiraju at the launch of the media campaign of the National Tobacco Control Program, New Delhi, 2012
File:The Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Keshav Desiraju and the Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Ms. Margaret A. Hamburg.jpg, Desiraju exchanging an MOU with the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Margaret A. Hamburg, New Delhi, 2014
File:The Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Shri Keshav Desiraju addressing at the Standards Conclave 2015 on "Role of Standards in International Trade Challenges, Opportunities & Issues".jpg, Desiraju addressing a CII standards conclave, New Delhi 2015

Personal life

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

Published works

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References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Desiraju, Keshav
1955 births
2021 deaths
People from Mumbai
Indian Administrative Service officers
Uttarakhand cadre civil servants
Alumni of the University of Cambridge
Harvard Kennedy School alumni
Deaths from coronary artery disease