Dr Akshay Chandra Dhariwal MD

Dr Dhariwal is a seasoned public health specialist and medical professional with a distinguished career in communicable disease control and health systems strengthening in India. He served as a Central Health Service (CHS) officer for more than three decades (1987 – 2020) with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, holding leadership roles including Director of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP). He has also served as Commissioner of Maternal and Child Health programmes.

Dr Dhariwal’s work spans communicable disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, integrated disease surveillance programme (IDSP) development, neglected tropical disease control, and policy actions for vector-borne disease elimination. He has been involved in national policy shifts such as vaccine strategy changes contributing to polio eradication progress in India.

As Advisor, Dr Dhariwal provides strategic guidance on quality assurance, infection prevention and control, and strengthening primary healthcare models, with particular interest in advancing safe, structured, and scalable home-based care services.