Reimagining India's Health System: A Lancet Citizens' Commission

This commentary announces the launch of the Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System. The Commission is an ambitious, cross-sectoral effort to develop a citizens’ roadmap to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) in India in the next decade. Unlike previous reports, the Commission is guided by the principle that structural change towards UHC must be attained through consultative and participatory engagement with the diverse sectors involved in health care and, most importantly, with India’s citizenry. While the Commission will build on the vast existing literature on healthcare in India, it is set apart by a unprecedented effort to represent the diverse perspectives of India’s 1.3 billion citizens through nation-wide surveys and focus groups with those who deliver and receive healthcare. The Commission’s interdisciplinary approach is also reflected in its composition—with members including doctors, public health professionals, economists, financial scholars, consumer behavior experts, and social welfare workers—as well as in its growing partnerships with research institutes and independent organizations in India and abroad. The recommendations will be based on insights gathered through this consultative effort and published on the Lancet on Aug 15, 2022, when India will have completed its 75th year as an independent nation.