Overview
- The report, released this week, outlines a roadmap to universal health coverage by 2047 grounded in a survey of 50,000 households across 121 districts in 29 states.
- It argues that uneven care quality, fragmented delivery and weak governance are the main barriers to equitable care, citing estimates that poor-quality care contributes to about 1.6 million deaths annually.
- The roadmap proposes six structural reforms: empower citizens in local governance, decentralize authority to districts, scale technology to coordinate care, shift government to strategic purchasing, embed a learning‑health‑system culture, and align the private sector with public goals.
- Specific measures include mandatory periodic re‑licensing of doctors to improve standards and integrating AYUSH practitioners through formal referral pathways to higher levels of care.
- Editor Richard Horton urges Prime Minister Narendra Modi to act during a window of high public trust and strong growth, and he plans annual progress tracking through a “State of India’s Health System” report.