Category : India

India, the world’s third-largest energy consumer, generates 80% of its energy from coal, oil and biomass. To meet its future projected growth, the International Energy Agency in Paris says that India will need to add an electric power system the size of the EU’s every 20 years. It has made great strides, including ensuring each village is connected to the power grid, and its solar PV deployment program is one of the world’s ambitious. Yet it faces many challenges – energy poverty, access to clean water, increased road transportation, and high temperatures that yield a demand for air conditioning.

The Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System is an ambitious, cross-sectoral initiative to lay out the path to universal health coverage in India. Its guiding principle is that structural change toward universal health coverage can only be achieved through consultative and participatory engagement with the diverse sectors involved in healthcare and, most importantly, with India’s citizenry.

This event aimed to introduce the Commission to the Harvard community and invite students, researchers, faculty, and alumni to participate in the initiative. It consisted of a panel discussion featuring several of the Commission’s co-chairs and commissioners, who are leading voices from across India’s healthcare landscape. They discussed the Commission’s five work streams (citizens’ engagement, financing, governance, human resources, and technology) and ways to get involved.