Road map for universal health coverage in India

To deliver UHC, India’s health system needs to be agile, adaptive, and anticipatory

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India will observe Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day on December 12. The country has many promises to keep as it moves towards the 2030 target for delivering UHC and before it can become Viksit Bharat by 2047. This calls for assured success in two endeavours: By 2030, all health benefits promised by UHC must be efficiently and equitably delivered; and by 2047, policies across multiple sectors must create a healthy society where security of health, nutrition, and income, among others, are assured.

To deliver UHC, India’s health system needs to be agile (in responding to present health needs), adaptive (readily recalibrate resources and services to match altered circumstances) and anticipatory (predict and prepare for future health needs). At all times, it must provide wide service coverage with minimal financial hardship to persons seeking care, while reducing barriers to utilisation of care (foregone care).

It has to be nimble in readjusting priorities and service delivery mechanisms when unanticipated developments, such as epidemics, pandemics, natural disasters and conflict, disrupt the functioning of the health system. Health systems must maintain a reserve of rapidly mobilisable health workforce, to enable a swift surge response when needed. Protection of supply chains and ramped-up production drugs, vaccines and equipment must be planned ahead. Under UHC, disconnects between primary, secondary and tertiary care, allopathic and alternative medicine systems, and public, private and voluntary health care providers must be bridged. The government must guarantee all promised services, even if it is not the sole provider.