A panel discussion at this year’s Jaipur Literature Festival discussed a Lancet Commission on a Citizen-Centred Health System for India report on reimagining health care in India, bringing together experts in global health, civil society, business, and medicine including Vikram Patel, Mittal Institute Steering Committee Member, Lancet Commission Co-Chair, and The Pershing Square Professor of Global Health, Harvard Medical School; Tarun Khanna, former Mittal Institute Faculty Director and the Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor at Harvard Business School; Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet; Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India; and moderated by Hitesh Hathi, Executive Director of the Mittal Institute.
Panelists underscored that the state must serve as the primary steward of a universal health care system, with the private sector playing a complementary but vital role. Through clearer regulation, better use of technology, and more integrated systems, they argued, patients could receive more consistent and continuous care. Speakers also stressed the importance of civil society and citizen participation in shaping reform.
The conversation also explored the question of why India’s health system struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic despite broad access to care. Speakers noted that while most Indians can reach a doctor, the quality, accountability, and continuity of care remain uneven. Drawing on extensive research, including a survey of 50,000 households, the report argues that India now stands at a historic inflection point: unlike in 1947, the country has the technological capacity, workforce, and infrastructure needed to build a more equitable system.
Ultimately, the commission calls for a citizen-centered health system that replaces today’s fragmented care with services that are more coordinated, accountable, and focused on patient needs. Panelists concluded that the report’s release represents only the “end of the beginning,” and emphasized their commitment to sustaining the platform that produced the Commission’s work, to ensure it remains a resource for research, insight, and community-building. In doing so, they signaled that this effort is ongoing and open to continued engagement from citizens, media, and policymakers to advance high-quality, universal health care in India.
☆ The views represented herein are those of the interview subjects and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Mittal Institute, its staff, or its steering committee.