REIMAGINING HEALTH CARE FOR 1.5 BILLION PEOPLE The Lancet Commission on a citizen-centred health system for India
Professor Vikram Patel, Harvard Medical School
Wednesday, 10 June 2026, 5.30pm to 6.30pm
Hosted by Professor Alan Stein
India stands at a pivotal moment in its journey towards universal health coverage (UHC), a crucial component of the Government’s Viksit Bharat vision to elevate it to the status of a developed country by 2047.
A recent Lancet Commission report on a citizen-centred health system for India proposes a transformative approach to India’s health system by placing the needs of citizens front and centre. Drawing on extensive new and existing research, the report emphasises the urgent need to strengthen India’s public healthcare and identify a several health system reforms needed to advance UHC. The Commission advocates for a rights-based, citizen-centred model that promotes community participation, transparency and equity, which are key principles of UHC and aim at ensuring high-quality, affordable care for all.
In this lecture, Vikram Patel, Paul Farmer Professor and Chair of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, in conversation with Professor Alan Stein, Director of the Children and Climate Initiative at the Blavatnik School of Government, will describe the goals, approaches and findings of this ambitious Lancet Commission which identifies the contemporary challenges to realising universal health coverage in India and the critical reforms needed to address them.
Please note the event takes place at the Flora Anderson Hall, Somerville College OX2 6HD.