A new Lancet Commission report has outlined a rights-based, citizen-centric roadmap for reforming India’s health system, calling for innovative financing, stronger regulation, and deeper community participation to ensure accessible, equitable, and high-quality healthcare. Closely aligned with the government’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, the framework positions universal health coverage (UHC) as a cornerstone of a developed and inclusive India, where quality care is affordable for all.
Prepared by an international panel of experts, including contributors from Harvard Medical School and Delhi-based NGO Population Foundation of India, the report urges urgent strengthening of public healthcare. It recommends integrating services across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, increasing public health expenditure, and more effectively leveraging digital technologies. The Commission highlights that fragmented service delivery and chronic underinvestment continue to undermine access and quality of care, particularly for vulnerable populations.
Established in December 2020, the Lancet Commission on a citizen-centred health system for India draws on extensive existing and new research to identify critical reforms required to achieve UHC. Its key recommendation is the creation of an integrated, citizen-focused healthcare delivery system that is publicly financed and largely publicly provided, while strategically engaging the private sector to harness its strengths without compromising equity.
