How can MCC engineers replace doctors in public health?

Sir,

Karnataka’s move to replace Medical Health Officers (MHOs) in Municipal Corporations with Environmental Engineers is being justified because engineers can handle sanitation, vector control and civic health issues (MCC Health Officer OUT, Executive Engineer IN — SOM dated Jan. 24).  This reasoning is fundamentally flawed.

Engineers are undeniably skilled in designing sewage systems, managing waste and maintaining environmental infrastructure. But public health is not merely about pipes, drains or compliance reports — it is about people. Disease outbreaks require rapid identification of risk, epidemiological insight and timely medical intervention. While an engineer can improve drainage, only a doctor can assess which communities are vulnerable, prescribe preventive measures or respond to early signs of an epidemic.

Vector-borne diseases like dengue, cholera and leptospirosis cannot be solved solely through spraying chemicals or clearing drains. Effective control demands medical surveillance, hotspot identification and proactive intervention, which are beyond the training of engineers.

Similarly, inspections of food establishments, PGs or hospitals often involve recognising clinical risks invisible to a purely technical eye.

Recent experience in Mysuru during COVID-19 highlights the importance of MHOs. Their teams oversaw testing, isolation, biomedical waste management and vaccination campaigns — tasks that rely on medical judgement as much as technical efficiency.

Overloading engineers with these responsibilities risks delayed action, overburdened staff and compromised accountability.

A sensible approach is a hybrid model: engineers provide technical support for infrastructure and sanitation, while MHOs lead population-level disease prevention, outbreak management and public health decision-making.

Public health cannot be reduced to a technical exercise — it requires clinical expertise, judgement and trust. Replacing doctors with engineers is a policy that jeopardises both human lives and public confidence.

– M. Jameel Ahmed, Mysuru, 26.1.2026

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