Even a single systemic weakness could permit a big health shock

Context: India must invest in the creation of a comprehensive system of universal health coverage at both the central and state levels.

Building strong and resilient health systems:

• Expanding the capacity and quality of the health workforce:
  • A multi-layered, multi-skilled health force: must be steadily developed to meet the emergency as well as regular needs of the health system.
  • Horizontal and vertical networks: healthcare providers must be developed at and between the different levels of care in every district of the country.
• Acquire self-sufficiency: in the production of medical equipment, active pharmaceutical ingredients and research that extends from epidemiology to vaccine design.
• Building a high level of innate immunity: with nutritious food and reduced pollution and by ensuring enabling social and environmental conditions.
• Engaging communities: by promoting health literacy to guide people's behaviour like wearing mask and acceptance of vaccines.
• Strong surveillance system: need to cover many diseases, their causal factors and determinants.
  • To track the potential of microbial spillover from wildlife to veterinary populations and human communities.
  • For predicting and pre-empting patterns of transmission between people who may be stable residents or intermittent travellers.
• Collaboration of technology and human expertise: at all levels, from policy to design, for the delivery, monitoring and evaluation of programmes.
• Ensuring investment in:
  • Primary healthcare system: as it plays an important role in Early detection of outbreaks, contact tracing, containment measures and the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases.
  • Creating multi-disciplinary public health cadres for our state and central health systems.
• Roping in the private and voluntary healthcare sectors: To ensure an evolving framework of universal health coverage in a predictable and accountable arrangement.

Conclusion: India needs nationwide architecture for universal health coverage to ensure that access to healthcare should not depend on the paying capacity of the individual in need.